Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic), in partnership with subsidiary company ITC Global, has been awarded a 4-year contract by TUI Cruises concerning connectivity services to a couple of newbuild cruise ships, line's Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2.
The new agreement establishes communication capabilities aboard the vessels serving passengers and crew, enhancing user experience during the TUI travels across international waters.
The award by the cruise line marks the first comprehensive cruising connectivity contract for ITC Global and Panasonic. Installation and commissioning for the first sister ship, Mein Schiff 1, was finalized in March 2018 and the liner successfully completed its maiden trip in May. Currently, Mein Schiff 2 is under construction at Meyer Turku shipyard, Finland and set to join the fleet of TUI Cruises in March 2019.
Equipment for both ships includes 2.4-meter multi-band antenna systems delivering high levels of bandwidth to accommodate connectivity demands for both ships' capacity of over 3,000 total passengers and crew onboard. This high-bandwidth solution calls for flexible commercial and technical service with space segment management and dynamic bandwidth allocation. Both cruise ships are being serviced through traditional geo-synchronous satellites, featuring future consideration of microwave, point-to-point and other technologies as demand for additional capabilities expands.
The service, leveraging Panasonic's 3rd-generation communications network, is backed by HTS (high-throughput satellite) coverage paired with latest modem technology, and also includes 24x7 service monitoring & support from the Network Operations Center of ITC Global.