I´m not joking; if you ever felt your eyes fading into “screen saver mode” after some slides – just imagine how challenging it is to capture and hold on to the attention of the “140-characters mobile generation”. The ferry industry may capture more of the “silver-fox generation”, but believe me; the “140-characters mobile generation” is getting older fast. Even grandparents are at times glued to smartphones today.

10 years ago, ferry operators may have attracted conference customers selling the value of being completely disconnected onboard. The perfect way to secure undivided attention of a captive audience. However, if you think you can capture the attention of customers today – without tapping into the palm of their hand; you should reconsider.

Today we suffer from Nomophobia; a phobic fear of being disconnected. We hate that “spinning wheel of death” when watching a movie – and when the battery runs out we panic. These have become the biggest fears of today; and we should not let our passengers sail with anxiety and fear, should we?

Internet access has become a basic human need and even a human right. The United Nations Human Rights Council even passed a resolution in June 2016 condemning countries that intentionally take away or disrupt its citizens’ internet access. Something to think about even for international waters?

I was recently on a cruise from Shanghai to Nagasaki, and the Chinese passengers were completely glued to their smartphones. Up to 85% of the passengers used the Wi-Fi service concurrently. The highest Wi-Fi penetration we have seen across any maritime or aviation market, and other demographics will follow. Another key observation is the data usage, not only is it growing significantly but the traffic patterns are changing dramatically. In the past, the usage was primarily “web browsing” and download. Today a much larger proportion is upload; Pictures, movies and moments are being shared from the ships like never before, and your passengers are capturing the attention of many you otherwise would never reach.

In addition to more passengers requiring connectivity, total mobile data traffic is expected to keep rising at a compound annual growth rate of 42 percent. More than 90% of mobile data traffic will come from smartphones in 2022 (according to Ericsson´s Mobility Report of June 2017). The demand is driven by “fat-data” such as streaming, entertainment, virtual and augmented reality, video presence, interactive gaming and cloud based services. The amount of “things” requiring connectivity is also exploding. Even a 400 mbps satellite internet service as for the Chinese example cannot keep up with this demand.

If providing internet experience onboard ferries that compares with the free Wi-Fi you get with a coffee at Starbucks already is a problem for you; it´s not going to be solved with the mind-set of yesterday.

Past thinking like introducing “slow” satellite internet because; we have to have something, but we don’t want to spend anything – may be part of the problem you face. Several ferry operators launched paid Wi-Fi service, but faced a storm of complaints and refunds. The solution became giving it away for free, at least solving the problem of refunds. Now you may be stuck with a terrible internet service getting the worst customer satisfaction scores, potentially even damaging your reputation – and the problem has only increased.

You may be thinking; IT and connectivity is already this huge OPEX cost, surpassed only the cost of fuel. The next question may be; are passengers even willing pay for this “human right” of internet access. Is there a solution? Can I justify buying more satellite bandwidth? Should I choose a different technology?

Yes, there are solutions, and it is not simply about spending more money on satellite bandwidth or finding an alternative technology. While many have focused on finding a better or cheaper technology, the answer is not in choosing between C-, Ku-, or Ka-band frequencies. It´s not about choosing between GEO, MEO, LEO or next generation nano satellites. Neither is it about selecting 4G, LTE or 5G versus Terrestrial Wi-Fi networks.

The growth in demand is so much faster than the supply and available technologies. Therefore, we have to move from thinking “this or that technology” to a mind-set of “this and that and also that technology”. Our approach is to look beyond technology, and consider what needs to be fixed, avoided and achieved. Starting with the core values of your business, and aligning objectives with your strategy is the first step. This will capture the commercial and financial challenges and should focus on identifying ways to fund the initiative though both cost savings and increased earnings. Revenue could come from passenger services but we encourage thinking much more broadly.

The final solution will combine multiple technologies at the same time, and the winners are the ones successfully integrating and dynamically managing available technologies to deliver the best performance for onboard experience while optimizing cost.

Succeeding will open new oceans of opportunities, and doing it right will capture the attention of far more than the 140-characters mobile generation…

/ Ole Kristian Sivertsen, Senior Vice President at Global Eagle