Princess line – A wireless Wrist Band that passengers wear to get access around the ship Started in 2017 :

All aboard! Go inside the most high-tech cruise ship ever built

By Andy Boxall May 2, 2017 5:00PM PST

Upgrading the network in your house often involves a little upheaval. A guy from your cable company may turn up, his boots may be a little grubby, and some furniture may have to be shifted around. It is, at most, a minor inconvenience.

When youre doing a similar job on one of the largest cruise ships in the world “ capable of carrying around 5,000 people “ its a little different. When Carnival Corporation started outfitting the Regal Princess (in the companyTMs Princess Cruises division) with the innovative Ocean Medallion wearable technology platform, it required sailing the ship into dry dock in Hamburg, Germany for two weeks to complete the mammoth task, and we went along to see how the technology could transform the cruise experience.

The Regal Princess entered dry dock on April 17 and over the following 14 days, it was filled with 

7,000 new sensors, 650 public wall-mounted touchscreen devices of varying sizes,

1,780 new Wi-Fi access points,

4,030 private digital displays in rooms,

Three Giant new antennas supplying data connectivity,  and 75 miles of new cable.

Not just any cable, but perwinkle-colored cable, to be exact. It took an experienced team of technicians working 24-hours a day to add this new high-tech layer to the cruise experience. If that wasn’t enough of a challenge, they decided to add in a new staircase, paint a design on the front of the ship, and make a wealth of other improvements as well.    source :  https://www.digitaltrends.com/wearables/princess-cruises-readies-its-high-tech-cruise- ship/

From Princess Website FEBRUARY 27, 2020 :

 

Find cruises on MedallionClass ships:

Caribbean Princess® | Crown Princess® | Regal Princess® | Royal Princess® | Ruby Princess® Sky Princess®

Coming soon to: Grand Princess® (Mar 29, 2020)), Enchanted Princess® (Jun 15, 2020), Emerald Princess® (Aug 16, 2020), Coral Princess® (Oct 16, 2020), Island Princess® (Dec 20, 2020), and Discovery PrincessSM (Nov 3, 2021)

Coming soon to:  Diamond Princess® (Mar 15, 2020), Majestic Princess® (Apr 18, 2020), Star Princess® (Jun 12, 2020), Enchanted Princess® (Jun 15, 2020), Sapphire Princess® (Jul 27, 2020), and Discovery PrincessSM (Nov 3, 2021) https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ocean-medallion/medallionnet/

Carnival’s single-use device requires cruise ships to be outfitted with thousands of

sensors. The first ships to make use of the technology will be the Regal Princess (on a Nov. 13 cruise) and the Royal Princess and Caribbean Princess in early 2018. The wearable itself can perform all its functions thanks to NFC and Bluetooth Low Energy.”

…..so looks like it does not have it – yet


Is an OceanMedallion safe to use if I have a pacemaker, or other medical device?

The OceanMedallion includes magnets and RF technology that have been designed and manufactured to meet the radio frequency (RF) requirements set by the Federal Communications Commission of the United States. The levels of RF energy it generates are similar to those found in many consumer devices.

However, as every device differs, so you should check directly with the manufacturer of your medical device and physician for guidance.

https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ocean-medallion/ocean-faq/


 

Investigation into RF and Ships, February 27, 2020 :

Ship #1  World Dream   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Dream   Doesn’t look like it had 5G

Ship #2 Diamond Princess  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Princess_(ship)   Appears to be no info on that, however read this :

https://www.satellitetoday.com/mobility/2020/02/03/princess-cruises-to-have-first-fleet- with-sess-o3b-mpower-network/

Princess uses SES Networks which also plan for 5G SATILITES

https://www.satellitetoday.com/mobility/2019/10/29/ses-highlights-new-satellite- industry-5g-digital-divide-opportunities-at-dc5g/

““With MedallionNet, we helped deliver a new and holistic model that sets an entirely new standard for cruise ship connectivity around the world. By extending and expanding our Premier Innovation Partner relationship, we are leveraging our unprecedented position in multi-constellation satellite networks and consistently focusing on delivering high performance and pushing the envelope of what’s possible.” https://advanced-television.com/2020/02/03/princess-cruises-gains-access-to-ses-o3b- mpower-network/

Pacemaker and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators (ICDs) typically recommend that you keep your medical device 9 inches (23 cm) away from RF transmitters comparable to the one found inside the OceanMedallion.


Ship Building

https://www.ericsson.com/en/networks/cases/5g-telia-tallink https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news-headlines/5g-network-available-china-cruise- ship-construction https://www.ship-technology.com/news/samsung-heavy-sk-telecom/

https://www.rina.org.uk/ Chinese_shipbuilding_enterprises_promote_the_application_of_5G_technology.html


Harbours and 5G

https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/5g-autonomous-navigation-platform-tested   https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/port-of-zeebrugge-invests-in-5g  https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/port-of-hamburg-tests-5g  https://maritime-executive.com/corporate/nokia-abb-and-kalmar-trial-5g-technology


SHIPS

Coronavirus on ships?? – passengers quarantined – Connection with Internet public access points??

From 2017,  they were talking about satellites and offering passengers “an immersive experience: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170928006446/ en/

“SES Networks is privileged to be associated with Carnival Corporation’s Global Experience and Innovation team and to be powering MedallionNet,” said Steve Collar, CEO of SES Networks. “We share Carnival Corporation’s passionate focus on connecting people, places and cultures around the world with amazing experiences. As the only company to offer a GEO and MEO constellation, unmatched in scale, performance and technological diversity, SES Networks is uniquely positioned to enable the highest performing Wi-Fi connectivity at sea, as well as immersive media and gaming content.”


MedallionNet

MedallionNet leverages multi-band antennas uniquely configured shipboard formation to minimize any potential impact to guest connectivity

seasonal weather or ship positioning, and due to deliver a truly immersive guest connectivity experience.

it fuses multi-orbit satellite bandwidth to” in an innovative

“The system leverages multi-band antennas uniquely configured in an innovative shipboard formation to minimize any potential impact to guest connectivity due to seasonal weather or ship positioning, and it fuses multi-orbit satellite bandwidth to deliver superior connectivity.

“By combining multiple sources of bandwidth with hundreds of shipboard access points to achieve the highest capacity shipboard network ever brought to a cruise ship, MedallionNet introduces a level of service reliability and signal pervasiveness not previously achieved on ships sailing at sea.

“The activities surrounding the attempt to set a new apex for bandwidth capacity will include a series of Facebook Live streaming sessions as the Regal Princess is off Princess Cays.”

Another article that you get to by following the SES path argues that 5G is not needed and enough can be provided with 5G LTE, which is souped up 4G and quite bad enough even without 5G:

https://www.satellitetoday.com/mobility/2019/10/29/ses- highlights-new-satellite-industry-5g-digital-divide-opportunities-at-dc5g/


UPDATE :

Prior to March 5th 2020, the Princess Cruise Website stated that both the Diamond and the Grand Princess cruise ships would have the new wireless systems installed in Mid March and Late March.   As of the morning of March 5th, the website was suddenly updated, showing BOTH SHIPS ALREADY HAD MEDALLION WIRELESS,  one Day after media had posted the concerns about the Grand Princess passengers being effected.

 

From CBC MARCH 4, 2020 :

 

 

From Princess Website MARCH 5, 2020 :

 

 

 

Grand Princess cruise cancels latest voyage after former passenger dies from coronavirus

Princess Cruises is grappling with another coronavirus nightmare as a former passenger diedand it’s unclear how many more are infected.

The Grand Princess was traveling to Ensenada, Mexico, but instead headed Wednesday to San Francisco following news that a 71-year-old passenger died from the virus after returning home, the company said.

The cruise line attributed the travel change to health officials investigating a “small cluster” of recent passengers with the virus in Northern California.

“In an abundance of caution, we will be canceling the call to Ensenada, allowing the ship to arrive back in San Francisco early, exact day and timing being determined,” the company said in a statement.

Princess Cruises previously made headlines over a quarantined Diamond Princess cruise in Japan that had more than 700 passengers infected with the virus.

The latest cruise ship with infected passengers departed Feb. 10 from San Francisco before sailing to Mexico and returning Feb. 21.

Sixty-two of the passengers stayed on for another voyage, which is currently at sea in Hawaii, the cruise operator said.

The ship was set to sail to Ensenada, Mexico, but nixed that part of the journey as it works with health officials on how to respond to the latest outbreak.

“The CDC is continuing to actively collect information and is collaborating with us to determine what, if any, actions need to be taken during the current Hawaii cruise and upon the ship’s return to San Francisco,” the cruise line said.

The group that was possibly contaminated by the virus was ordered Wednesday to stay in their rooms until they are screened by the on-board medical team.

“You may order room service while you wait for the medical screening to be completed, and we apologize for any inconvenience,” an advisory to passengers said.

Meanwhile, the other passengers are free to roam aboard the vessel and the food buffets will stay open, though the crew will serve them.

“The safety, health and well-being of our guests and crew is always our top priority,” the cruise said. “The ship has activated these proactive and precautionary measures out of an abundance of caution.”

California health officials announced on Wednesday that the former passenger was the state’s first coronavirus-related death.

The elderly man, who was from Placer County, tested positive Tuesday for the virus after returning home from the cruise, health officials said.

His case brought the number of fatalities stateside from the coronavirus to 11 since the outbreak emerged in Wuhan, China, in December.

With Post wires

https://nypost.com/2020/03/04/grand-princess-cruise-cancels-latest-voyage-after-former-passenger-dies-from-coronavirus/

 

 


Telia shows off 5G in Europe with Ericsson, Intel

 

Ericsson, Intel and Telia announced the first public 5G live network in Europe on Sept. 29, 2017, including a 5G connection for a Tallink Silja Europa cruise ship at the Port of Tallinn, Estonia. (Intel)

Getting to 5G sooner rather than later is the name of the game for Telia, so it has deployed what it considers the first public 5G live network use cases in Europe with the help of Ericsson and Intel.

The use cases include equipping a Tallink cruise ship with a 5G network while in harbor and remotely controlling a construction excavator via 5G at the EU Digital Summit in Tallinn, Estonia.

The companies are using millimeter wave spectrum but are not disclosing which frequencies are being tested, a spokesperson told FierceWirelessTech. The solution includes an Ericsson 5G base station consisting of 5G antenna, radio and baseband, in conjunction with the Intel 5G Mobile Trial Platform.

https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/telia-shows-off-5g-europe-ericsson-intel