For passengers stepping on board, staying connected is part of the journey. Whether they want to message family, catch up on work or keep the children entertained, they bring everyday digital habits and expectations shaped by their experience on land.
At Ferry Shipping Summit, Melinda Holmgren, CMO at Telenor Maritime, encouraged ferry operators to start with those needs. Connectivity is, above all, a user experience decision: can passengers stay connected during the journey and do what they need to do?
For the answer to be yes, one should start with understanding what the needs on a particular journey are. With that as the starting point, the operator’s role is then to offer relevant choices, let people decide what suits them best, and to make sure those choices work.
Different people and journeys create different needs
A commuter on a short crossing, a truck driver taking a break and a family spending the night on board may want very different things from their connection. Crew have their own needs as people who spend much more of their time at sea.
Telenor Maritime’s data reflects these differences. Roaming conversion remains relatively stable at around 35% across sailing lengths. Wi-Fi conversion rises from around 4% on sailings under six hours to around 25% on journeys over 17 hours. On longer routes, data use per user also increases.
These patterns show how connectivity behaviour varies with the journey, and why different ways of connecting have a role to play. Offering complementary services such as Wi-Fi, roaming and eSIM gives passengers and crew more freedom to choose what suits their needs.
Whatever they choose, it has to work
Choice alone does not create a good connected experience. Passengers and crew need to trust that their chosen service will let them do what they expect.
Free Wi-Fi illustrates the challenge. Removing the price can encourage more passengers to connect. But if capacity does not keep up with demand, passengers may have internet access without being able to send a message, stream a film or finish a call. Providing access is only part of the task. Each service needs to make its capabilities clear and deliver on that promise.
The experience is more than the connection
Technology, capacity and pricing matter. So do ease of use and communication. For the passenger, all of these shape the experience.
This summer, a Scandinavian cruise ferry operator changed how it explained an internet package. The price, data allowance and technology stayed the same. Conversion increased by 15%.
More passengers bought the same product after the offer was explained more clearly. The lesson for operators is practical: think holistically about the customer experience. Don’t focus only on the technology. Make each option easy to understand and to get started with.
Build the portfolio. Let passengers choose.
Passengers do not all want to connect in the same way. So don’t start by choosing one product for everyone. Start by asking who will use it, and for what. Build a portfolio of complementary services – roaming, Wi-Fi and eSIM – suitable to meet those needs, and make sure the technology, capacity, commercial model and communication support the experience you promise.
A good connected experience gives people the freedom to choose how they connect, and the confidence that their chosen service will work as promised.