By
Alex Smith |
Brittany Ferries has extended its contract with Telenor Marine to provide connectivity services for its fleet operating on routes between the UK, France and Spain.
The new contract expands the scope of services delivered by Telenor Maritime and aims to provide a more resilient network for ship-to-shore communications.
“At Brittany Ferries, our priority is to enable the best passenger experience for our customers,” said Ronan Jegou le Bris, Fleet Electronic Superintendent at Brittany Ferries. “To achieve this, we needed the right connectivity partner and a solution that would allow us to incorporate new, low-latency technologies. With Telenor Maritime’s expertise, we now have an always-connected solution on board, improving the experience for passengers, the administration, and the crew.”
The Telenor Maritime Connectivity Platform has been deployed across the Brittany Ferries fleet, combining multiple backhaul bearers into one powerful connectivity source. The platform has been reconfigured remotely with additional backhauls for increased bandwidth, meeting the customer's requirements for improved network resilience. The combination of very small aperture terminal (VSAT) and mobile broadband backhauls with the new addition of low-latency, high-speed radio link backhauls is expected to deliver higher quality wi-fi and mobile services for passengers, crew, operations and business activities.
The hybrid connectivity platform is also compatible for bundling with other low-latency, high-speed Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) backhauls from providers such as OneWeb and Starlink. This opens possibilities for shipowners seeking to boost the passenger experience further and for implementing 5G onboard their vessels.
Telenor Maritime has also deployed the Wi-Fi Service Portal (WSP) across the Brittany Ferries fleet. The WSP provides a versatile digital information platform to enable Brittaany Ferries to communicate with passengers and crew on their own personal devices and is open for hosting third-party applications. Brittany Ferries will be among the first to benefit from the newest version of the portal, which features two new main functionalities.
Firstly, a pre-sales portal now gives passengers the option to purchase wi-fi before their journey starts, in compliance with relevant European Union directives for digital sales. Secondly, the addition of a content management system allows for customisation by the shipowner through the interface. Using this digital communication channel, the company can make in-demand, onboard services more accessible - including restaurants, tax-free shops, wi-fi packages and entertainment.