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LGC Wireless Delivers Cellular Coverage on Cruise Ships for Wireless
Maritime Services
Carnival, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean
among Lines Offering Cellular Service on Dozens of Ships Worldwide
San Jose, Calif., June 12, 2006—LGC Wireless, the leader
in advanced in-building wireless systems, today announced that
Wireless Maritime Services (WMS), a joint venture of Cingular Wireless
and Maritime Telecommunications Network, Inc., is deploying its
InterReach® Unison systems to enable high-quality cellular
service for thousands of cruise ship passengers worldwide. LGC
Wireless systems are currently deployed aboard some two dozen ships
operated by the world’s leading cruise lines, including Carnival
Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Holland America
Line, Island Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Orient Lines, Regent
Seven Seas Cruises, and Royal Caribbean Cruises.
By deploying Unison systems aboard these vessels, WMS enables
pervasive, “four bars” cellular coverage for passengers
and crew despite the challenges of the ships’ all-steel construction.
A typical installation brings in wireless signals through a ship-mounted
satellite antenna, and then distributes the signal via Unison Main
and Expansion Hubs plus roughly 60 antennas. Through its roaming
partnerships with 340 cellular carriers worldwide, WMS ensures
CDMA and GSM-based cellular services for any passenger anywhere.
“You might think that a cruise ship is the last place where
someone would want cellular service, but it’s actually very
popular,” said Rob Marjerison, vice president of deployment
and business development at WMS. “In fact, many passengers
won’t sail unless they know they have cellular coverage that
allows them to remain in touch while on vacation. We have standardized
on the Unison system because it allows us to support any carrier
frequency and is much easier to install than other systems.”
Cruising is one of the most popular types of vacations worldwide,
and the availability of cellular coverage is helping to spur business.
Accordingly, Mr. Marjerison expects WMS to double the number of
its ship deployments by the end of 2006.
LGC Wireless’ InterReach Unison system simplifies onboard
deployments because ships typically have little room for network
cabling, and the Unison system uses standard, flexible fiber and
Cat-5 cabling. This cuts the time and difficulty of deployment
significantly over other systems that rely on rigid coaxial cabling,
which can be up to 7/8” in diameter.
“WMS is expanding the cruise ship business by enabling wireless
coverage anywhere at sea, and we’re proud to be their chosen
solution for shipboard coverage,” said John Spindler, vice
president of marketing at LGC Wireless. “As these deployments
prove, our products can deliver optimum cellular coverage for any
carrier in any environment, no matter how challenging.”
About LGC Wireless
With more than 5,500 deployments worldwide, LGC Wireless is the
leader in extending scalable, high-performance wireless coverage
inside buildings and public facilities. LGC’s products offer
low-cost installation, end-to-end monitoring and management, and
easy integration of emerging wireless technologies. LGC Wireless
is based in San Jose, California and is privately held. For more
information, please visit www.lgcwireless.com.
About Wireless Maritime Services
Wireless Maritime Services, LLC (WMS) was founded in October of
2003. WMS delivers state-or-the-art wireless voice and data communications
at sea. WMS is a joint venture of Cingular Wireless,LLC (CW) and
Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN). WMS provides world class
roaming products, service, and support focused solely on the cruise
line industry. More information is available at www.cellularatsea.com.
About Maritime Telecommunications Network
Maritime Telecommunications Network, Inc. (MTN), the leader in
maritime communications, provides broadband solutions for voice,
data, Internet and compressed video services to the cruise and
other offshore industries and to the U.S. Government using state-of-the-art
VSAT technology. MTN's Digital Seas Internet product, the first
Information Technology concession, provides turnkey Internet Cafés
and Wi-Fi Hot Spots to the cruise and offshore industries. More
information on MTN is available at www.mtnsat.com.
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