NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE FIRST IN INDUSTRY TO OFFER REMOTE WIRELESS
Wi Fi INTERNET ACCESS AT SEA
Currently on Norwegian Sun; fleet wide
by December 2002
MIAMI, October 11, 2002 - In 1999, Norwegian Cruise Line
pioneered the industry's first Internet access on the high
seas with its Internet Cafe. Now, three years later, NCL becomes
the first cruise line to provide remote wireless Internet
access (also known as Wi Fi) to its guests. The program is
currently on Norwegian Sun and will be expanded to the rest
of the fleet by the end of 2002.
The line has partnered with Maritime Telecommunications Network
and PCTEL to provide totally remote wireless Internet capabilities
onboard Norwegian Sun, 24-hours a day, wherever the ship is
located. Guests who bring their personal laptops onboard can
get a wireless network card and will have the ability to access
the Internet and their email in designated locations throughout
the ship.
Wi Fi, short for 802.11p wireless fidelity, is the most popular
standard for wireless LAN networks worldwide. Wi Fi delivers
the Internet at an extremely fast 11 megabits per second operating
at a 2.4 gigahertz at long range.
"Norwegian Cruise Line recognizes that many passengers
feel the need to stay 'connected' while on vacation. Offering
the Internet Café and in-cabin dial up connections
was the first step and now we've gone even further by offering
our guests the opportunity to access the Internet from the
convenience of their personal computers," says Colin
Veitch, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian
Cruise Line. "Guests can check e-mail, send messages
and get work done at their leisure without having to be 'wired'
to their cabin."
NCL guests can now surf the Internet by the pool or in any
of the onboard lounges, meeting rooms, atriums and foyers.
The installation of the Wi Fi software is simple, requiring
no reconfiguration of the guest's computer and will take up
no hard drive space once the guest leaves the ship. Laptops
are also available for rent at the Internet Café onboard.
The Wi Fi network card costs $10 per day and passengers are
charged either by the minute or can purchase 33-, 100- or
250-minute packages for as low as 40 cents per minute. Laptop
rentals cost $35 per day.
Maritime Telecommunications Network, Inc. (MTN), the leader
in maritime communications, provides C-Band voice, fax, data
and Internet communications as well as Inmarsat services to
the cruise and offshore industries, and the U. S. Navy throughout
the world. Digital Seas International, a subsidiary of MTN,
is the first and only Information Technology concession in
the cruise line industry, providing turnkey Internet cafes
to the cruise and offshore industry. MTN also provides ship-to-shore
live video and radio broadcast capabilities via satellite.
MTN is owned by parent company Verestar, Inc. More information
is available at www.mtnsat.com.
PCTEL, founded in March 1994, is a leading provider of innovative
and cost-effective Internet access solutions. PCTEL's products
include analog soft modems, DSP-based modems and WLAN hardware
and software products, in particular, software that enables
802.11 roaming. The company is built upon a wide-ranging and
comprehensive portfolio of more than 80 analog and broadband
communications and wireless patents, issued or pending, including
the key and essential patents for Host Signal Processing (HSP)
modem technology. The company's products are sold to PC manufacturers,
PC board and card manufacturers, wireless carriers, wireless
ISPs, and system integrators. PCTEL headquarters are located
at 8725 West Higgins Road, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60631. Telephone:
773-243-3000. For more information, please visit our web site
at: www.pctel.com.
Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line is an international cruise
company and industry innovator that currently operates a fleet
of eight ships sailing to more than 140 ports around the world.
NCL is currently building Norwegian Dawn (for delivery December
2002), a 2,200-passenger sister ship to Norwegian Star.
For further information on NCL, contact a travel agent or
NCL in the U.S. and Canada at (800) 327-7030; in Miami-Dade
County, Fla., (305) 436-0866; visit NCL's web site at www.ncl.com;
or on AOL at keyword: NCL; or to download high resolution
photography visit www.ncl.com/hires.
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