O3b Networks, a global satellite service provider building a next-generation satellite network for telecommunications operators, Internet service providers, enterprise and government customers in emerging markets, has signed a multi-year deal with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. to provide high-speed satellite-delivered broadband service aboard one of the world’s largest cruise ships, Allure of the Seas.

Thanks to the pact, over 8,000 guests, staff and crew members traveling the Caribbean will now be able to connect at fiber-like speeds at sea.

“Cruise ship guests expect the same quality voice and Internet services they experience on land. We are proud to be the first cruise line to offer guests and crew aboard our innovative Oasis class of ships connectivity services that are in a league of their own” said Bill Martin, chief information officer for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, in a statement.

“This latest agreement underlines our confidence in O3b Networks and the game-changing level of connectivity it is set to provide aboard our ships,” said Martin.

Royal Caribbean, a global cruise vacation company, was the first to enlist O3b’s new maritime offering, O3bMaritime, aboard Allure of the Seas’ sister ship, Oasis of the Seas, when they signed a contract last summer.

Steve Collar, CEO, O3b Networks, said that through these agreements, O3b Networks and Royal Caribbean will soon be delivering more bandwidth than is currently available on all cruise ships combined in the Caribbean, making O3b the outright market leader.

Collar said that the partnership between O3b Networks and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. continues to expand, and the real winners are the guests and crew aboard the most innovative ships at sea.

“The alliance is based on a shared mission built on the belief that the Internet should always be within reach – on land and at sea,” he said.

Earlier in December, O3b Networks announced that Gulfsat Madagascar signed a long-term capacity deal to provide satellite-delivered high-speed broadband and telephony services across the island nation of Madagascar.

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