Mobile networks on cruiseships

Press release
Fornebu
4 minute read
Maritime Communications Partner AS , fully owned by Telenor ASA, has signed a contract to install and operate the cellular network onboard all ships in Princess Cruises, Cunard Lines and P&O Cruises Australia's fleet. The agreement covers 21 ships at the signing of the contract.

The fleet of cruise ships has a total passenger capacity of approximately 45,000 people, as well as a crew of 20,000. The MCP service will allow everyone onboard to use their own mobile phones when sailing on the high seas.

Breakthrough for MCP
"This contract represents a definite breakthrough for MCP in the American cruise market," says Pål Bjørdal (CEO of MCP). "We have won this contract despite hard competition, and we are proud to have been chosen to supply one of the most distinguished and demanding cruise operators in the market. The agreement with Princess Cruise Lines will be an excellent platform on which to further build our growth strategy," says Bjørdal.

Expected onboard
"We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with MCP for this service, and believe that MCP will be a good business partner for us," says Anthony Kaufman (Senior Vice President of Commercial Affairs at Princess Cruises). "This is a service that an increasing number of passengers expect to find onboard our ships.MCP has been very good to work with, particularly in respect of disabling the service in the certain public areas of the ship where we prefer cell phone service not to be present."

Worthy competitor
"This contract is an important milestone for MCP, and it shows that MCP is a worthy competitor in the international cruise market," declares Telenor Director and MCP Board Chairman, Bjarne Aamodt.

About Maritime Communications Partner AS:
MCP is the global maritime cellular operator focused on providing cost effective GSM and CDMA communications solutions specially created to fulfill the requirements of the shipping industry. MCP enables cell phone coverage by installing and operating the ship borne radio networks, linking the vessels with public networks via satellite. MCP operates its mobile services via roaming agreements with cellular operators throughout the world.

For more information about MCP, please visit www.mcp.com

About Princess Cruises
From its modest beginnings in 1965 with a single ship cruising to Mexico, Princess has grown to become one of the premiere cruise lines in the world. Today, its fleet carries more than a million passengers each year to more worldwide destinations than any other major line.

For more information about Princess, please visit www.princess.com

For further information, please contact; Pål Bjørdal, CEO MCP; tel: +47 90188379; e-mail: pal.bjordal@mcp.com