Blue Ocean Wireless (BOW), an Irish company delivering GSM communication capability for the merchant maritime sector, has introduced an upcoming global roaming service.

 

Thanks to the new service, subscribers to other networks will now be able to roam on all Blue Ocean Wireless equipped vessels, using their existing handset and SIM card.

 

The Blue Ocean Wireless network has been upgraded with a new GSM switch and a full Global Lease Line, providing enhanced connectivity, as well as allowing for additional features such as global roaming. Recent network upgrades taken up by Smart Communications, Inc. (SMART) have made the global roaming feature possible.

 

“We are delighted to announce the network upgrades and our impending global roaming service. This enhancement to the Blue Ocean Wireless solution represents another major step towards achieving a fully-comprehensive communications solution for those that work at sea. The remarkable speed with which BOW’s rollout has progressed has allowed BOW to diversify and enhance the BOW GSM service with the ultimate goal of improving on-board conditions for seafarers, said Robert Johnson, BOW CEO, in a statement. 

 

Blue Ocean Wireless provides, for the first time, GSM connectivity for seafarers in deep ocean water, where no other network exists. This allows users to make and receive voice calls, send and receive SMS text messages and, in time, browse the Internet using their existing handsets. This technology can also be used, in conjunction with RFID technology, to track and monitor shipping containers while they are in transit at sea.

 

Ramon S. Fernandez, PLDT and SMART head for International Carrier and Business Division, said, “Partnering with BOW is part of SMART’s thrust to provide affordable and extensive communications services to 1.2 million seafarers, of whom 40 percent are Filipinos. Through the global roaming service, they can use their own mobile phones to send and receive text messages and calls even while in deep ocean waters.”

 

Smart Communications, Inc. is the Philippines' wireless services provider with 31.6 million subscribers on its GSM network as of end-March 2008. SMART is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Philippines' telecommunications carrier, the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company.