Maritime cellular connectivity has the potential in providinga lot of new opportunities for the maritime and shipping sectors – technologyis essential for the passenger, freight and several other sectors that depend on sea transport or marine transfer. Maritime technology can help solve environmental problems for shipping, developing ocean space and improve operational efficiency. The fifth generation of technology (5G) is powerful, especially with the introduction of digitalization hence prediction says this technology will change shipping, logistics, ocean production and operations in a better way.Passengers and crew will be able to use their devices while onboard, just as they do when onshore, while connectivity is increasingly demanded by devices in transit. So now let us see how maritime cellular connectivity is evolving to meet new challenges along with Smart 4G Tester, 4G LTE Tester, 4G Network Tester and VOLTE Testing tools & Equipment and Smart Best wireless site survey software, site survey tools for wireless networks &Wifi site survey software app in detail.
There are three important partsship communications are divided.
- Necessary radio connectivity from ship to ship and ship to shore to maintain a stable network for operational and safety purposes.
- Costly and limited passenger to shore communication and device-level connectivity(consider ship-based PBXs and calling cards).
- Moreover, maritime cellular connectivity is evolving to meet new challenges. Let’s discuss with below-mentioned points that are shaping the sector.
For crew and passengers:
Maritime cellular connectivity is a must to look after for providing a stable network to crew members and passengers. The demand of passengers in a ship or cruise have changed as they expect to be able to connect with network for several activities, such as posting those holiday snaps in social media, having a video call to see their loved ones with live locations. To meet such requirements, cruise/ships need to be equipped with universal coverage on-board, with reliable backhaul when in blue waters.
It’s well known, of course, that maritime cellular connectivity can be delivered either from satellite connectivity or onshore network connectivity. Maritime cellular connectivity can be obtained by roaming onto other mobile networks which ensures effective maritime cellular connectivity, wherever they sail. This maritime cellular connectivity provides flexible connectivity options for both passengers and crew alike.
For devices:
Maritime connectivity for Devices is increasing rapidly due to a massive demand for more extensive IoT monitoring while at sea or cruise or ship. Container vessels and cargo will carry millions of devices that can report on different measurements and local conditions with the help of internet or network connectivity.
Maritime cellular connectivity has not only been demanded but also become more challenging. Network coverage is highly essential to get delivered for marine-level use cases and to ensure service quality as vessels sail from one location to another hence should be delivered from one connectivity to another connectivity medium.
For the ship Operating System (OS):
Maritime cellular connectivity for OS is needed as the ship is evolving more autonomous processes and more accurate systems monitoring that will enhance ship operations and safety more. Maritime cellular connectivity (5G/4G) will enable ships or cruise to obtain more OS to generate, collect and analyze the mass of data. Operational communications through maritime cellular providers can be managed at the same time as other communications are happening by isolating and separating traffic – this must be managed alongside safety-critical communications across existing radio coverages.
Conclusion
Maritime cellular connectivity is a considered fast-moving domain. Therefore, shipping companies, across freight and other marine sectors are more into cellular connectivity to ensure that connectivity is provided with the right service levels when needed. For this reason, network monitoring and testing are important to focus on. Though the traditional method of network measurement exists operators and service providers are choosing a non-traditional method to gain more RoI. RantCell is one of the applications that you can install on any Android phone to perform network testing in ships or ports or cruise remotely. You can also generate test reports in real-time through RantCell web-based dashboard.
