|
“Cellular At Sea”
Cruise Line –
Shipboard Information Overview of Cellular At SeaCellular At Sea is provided by WMS, a joint venture of AT&T (Cingular) and MTN. The coverage is provided through a series of antennas all over the ship. Calls are then sent through a satellite back to systems on shore for delivery and billing. Wireless Phone Companies, called Carriers, have to opt into this service to allow their customer to roam on board cruise ship. Cellular At Sea is considered a premium roaming service for wireless customers. How Cellular At Sea Works…In & Out of Port: The Cellular At Sea service will automatically shut down when a ship is entering port and will automatically power on when a ship leaves port. This is to not interfere with wireless carriers in the countries the ship visits. The distance from shore the system is powered up/down depends on the national laws for each port’s country. What the Phones Say: Each carrier’s equipment will operate a little differently. Some phones will say for example “Cingular Wireless”, and others will indicate “Digital Roaming”. The important part is that customers should be aware if they are using their phone outside of port, they should expect to be roaming. What the Customer’s Bill will Say: Each carrier’s billing is also different. While we strive to work with each service provider to clearly indicate “Cruise Ship Roaming” on a customer’s bill, some carriers have older billing systems that may indicate either “Bermuda” or “Caribbean” roaming. WMS will work with all roaming partners worldwide to improve this but it is truly the home carrier’s responsibility. Satellite Issues: The number one issue encountered when hundreds of miles from shore is satellite interference. When this happens a customer’s handset will say “service not available” or “network busy”. Customers should expect this to happen occasionally and reattempt their call. Calls will go through when the satellite comes back online. What Works/What Doesn’tVoice Calls: This is 98% of wireless phone use. Calls to and from the ship will work, but since there is a satellite connection, calls may drop (albeit rarely), or the service may temporarily be unavailable when trying to place or receive a call. Customers should expect this and try again. In most cases voice quality is excellent but there will be a half-second speech lag due to the satellite. Customers can also make calls to others passengers on board the ship as well. Text Messages: Text messaging (SMS) works for the majority of wireless carriers, but not for all carriers. We are constantly working with wireless phone companies to add this service for their subscribers. Data Service: If your home carrier supports GPRS data service, you can use WMS with compatible GPRS data capable devices to check email, surf the web, and share photos while traveling just as you would at home. Charges will be conveniently billed to you by your home carrier. More Information: More information including carrier specific instructions can be found at the following website: http://www.cellularatsea.com/endusers.htm PricingNeither WMS nor the Cruise Line sets retail pricing customers may pay. Retail pricing is set by each customer’s wireless carrier and while we would like to be able to provide guidance, with some 300 wireless carriers each having hundreds of independent rate plans, it is impossible for the Cruise Line to provide concrete guidance on price. When in doubt, please tell the customer that they should check retail pricing with their wireless service provider. Customer service numbers and/or web addresses of several major wireless carriers are provided as follows:
|