The Costa shipping company is currently equipping its fleet with satellite Internet systems from the US provider SpaceX. The Toscana is the first ship on which this type of WLAN can already be offered.
According to their own statements, they want to be able to offer passengers on the cruises stable WiFi Internet even in remote regions. For this reason, the fleet will be equipped with SpaceX's Starlink technology by the end of this year. Travelers can already use this on the Toscana. The Smeralda will soon be upgraded as well. Costa currently assumes that the work will be completed by the end of December 2023.
“Costa is continually committed to innovative solutions that improve onboard service and exceed guest and crew expectations. Thanks to the revolutionary capabilities of the low-orbit Starlink satellites, our ships will have access to a faster and more reliable internet connection than ever before. Our goal is to transform the way our ships are operated and offer our guests and crew an even better experience through a combination of different technologies, services and broadband connections,” says Giuseppe Carino, VP Guest Experience & Onboard Revenues of Costa Crociere.
However, the use of the Internet services is not free of charge. Crew members also have to pay for private use. Various packages are offered, which, for example, only include Whatsapp, social media or the full Internet. It should also be possible for the Starlink Internet to be used with minute-by-minute billing only when required. Time-based billing models are actually a thing of the past, because telecommunications providers switched to volume models even before flat rates came into existence.