Where is the cell data on cruiseship for 1 month with unlimited data?

MYprepaidgsm

I saw one long time ago, cant find it anymore.
Anyone can remember one?

rfranzq · 15-04-2014, 01:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by MYprepaidgsm

I saw one long time ago, cant find it anymore.
Anyone can remember one?

Not to question your sanity, but are you really sure you saw such a thing?
Perhaps it was on offer on the cruise ship for a wifi data bundle?

'Unlimited data would cost unlimited money.'

peterdoo · 21-04-2014, 12:36

Vodafone UK prepaid works on many cruise ships @ £5 for 25MB per day.

davidtheprof · 21-04-2014, 19:39

I recall somebody posted about a SIM for cruise crew, perhaps from the Philippines? whether it really exists, or anyone can get one, a bit of googling should reveal!

DRNewcomb · 22-04-2014, 02:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidtheprof

I recall somebody posted about a SIM for cruise crew, perhaps from the Philippines? whether it really exists, or anyone can get one, a bit of googling should reveal!

There have been posts about crew SIM cards but from what was posted, they didn't seem really special.

petkow · 22-04-2014, 10:04

I think most of these crew SIM cards are roaming products, allowing seafarers to keep in touch when they are in ports. As far as I know none of them give special rates on the specialist onboard GSM stations which are always exorbitantly expensive. These systems are basically designed to suck out as much extra revenue from the passengers as is humanely possible. The same goes for networks that are installed on aircraft. Think about it, unlike ordinary terrestrial mobile networks, these nanocell or picocell solutions have a very tiny market to capitalise on and are quite expensive to install and maintain. AT the end of the day, the cruise ship operator always needs to be guaranteed a decent income from anyone who still decides to use it. Many do so out of ignorance as they do not really understanding the costs involved. (Hardly anything is ever published about what the costs are).

Almost 10 years ago these mini-mobile solutions were projected as major growth markets but the reality is that they do not see much use and several operators have even started pulling out the infrastructure. This is especially true on aircraft. I remember flying on a Ryanair flight almost 8 years ago where I had a mobile phone signal and they even installed information lights in the cabin saying GSM-ON. However, they never got beyond the trial stage as nobody bothered using the system as it was so overpriced.

Maybe on cruise ships they still maintain some tiny market, as wealthy passengers do not mind the cost (or are to naiive to understand the charges or perhaps never really see a phone bill).

petkow · 22-04-2014, 10:17

A little bit more reading suggests WIFI solutions are overtaking GSM solutions on cruise ships these days. Read this article from last year: http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcwebe...ip-passengers/
No mention in there about data, just about voice calls. However they seem to suggest conventional VOIP does not work very well due to lags. Voice calls need to be made via a special app like https://play.google.com/store/apps/d....softphone.mtn
which I presume allows you to authenticate on these WIFI networks as well as adding some extra technology in order to enhance voice quality.
Also read: https://www.connectatsea.com

DRNewcomb · 22-04-2014, 17:09

Using WiFi, it would probably be worthwhile to make sure your VOIP provider and client both support the G.729 CODEC.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

	(#1)
MYprepaidgsm (Offline) Junior Member Newbie Posts: 3 Join Date: 20 Apr 2012 Country:	Where is the cell data on cruiseship for 1 month with unlimited data? - 14-04-2014, 08:40 I saw one long time ago, cant find it anymore. Anyone can remember one?

	(#3)
peterdoo (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Fan Posts: 137 Join Date: 20 Sep 2013 Country:	21-04-2014, 12:36 Vodafone UK prepaid works on many cruise ships @ £5 for 25MB per day.

	(#4)
davidtheprof (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Fan Posts: 159 Join Date: 05 Jun 2011 Country:	21-04-2014, 19:39 I recall somebody posted about a SIM for cruise crew, perhaps from the Philippines? whether it really exists, or anyone can get one, a bit of googling should reveal!

	(#6)
petkow (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Pioneer Posts: 696 Join Date: 01 Aug 2006 Location: Madrid Country:	22-04-2014, 10:04 I think most of these crew SIM cards are roaming products, allowing seafarers to keep in touch when they are in ports. As far as I know none of them give special rates on the specialist onboard GSM stations which are always exorbitantly expensive. These systems are basically designed to suck out as much extra revenue from the passengers as is humanely possible. The same goes for networks that are installed on aircraft. Think about it, unlike ordinary terrestrial mobile networks, these nanocell or picocell solutions have a very tiny market to capitalise on and are quite expensive to install and maintain. AT the end of the day, the cruise ship operator always needs to be guaranteed a decent income from anyone who still decides to use it. Many do so out of ignorance as they do not really understanding the costs involved. (Hardly anything is ever published about what the costs are). Almost 10 years ago these mini-mobile solutions were projected as major growth markets but the reality is that they do not see much use and several operators have even started pulling out the infrastructure. This is especially true on aircraft. I remember flying on a Ryanair flight almost 8 years ago where I had a mobile phone signal and they even installed information lights in the cabin saying GSM-ON. However, they never got beyond the trial stage as nobody bothered using the system as it was so overpriced. Maybe on cruise ships they still maintain some tiny market, as wealthy passengers do not mind the cost (or are to naiive to understand the charges or perhaps never really see a phone bill).

	(#7)
petkow (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Pioneer Posts: 696 Join Date: 01 Aug 2006 Location: Madrid Country:	22-04-2014, 10:17 A little bit more reading suggests WIFI solutions are overtaking GSM solutions on cruise ships these days. Read this article from last year: http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcwebe...ip-passengers/ No mention in there about data, just about voice calls. However they seem to suggest conventional VOIP does not work very well due to lags. Voice calls need to be made via a special app like https://play.google.com/store/apps/d....softphone.mtn which I presume allows you to authenticate on these WIFI networks as well as adding some extra technology in order to enhance voice quality. Also read: https://www.connectatsea.com

	(#8)
DRNewcomb (Offline) Senior Member Prepaid Professionist Posts: 1,465 Join Date: 27 Feb 2004 Location: Mississippi, USA Country:	22-04-2014, 17:09 Using WiFi, it would probably be worthwhile to make sure your VOIP provider and client both support the G.729 CODEC.