BC Ferries in British Columbia, Canada, is partnering with SpaceX’s Starlink, to provide Wi-Fi for ferry crews while at sea.
However, it’s unclear if this will lead to the return of onboard internet for passengers, which was discontinued in 2021 due to poor performance.
At a Greater Vancouver Board of Trade event, CEO Nicolas Jimenez addressed the challenges of offering reliable internet on ferries. While Starlink now offers more affordable marine internet solutions for crews, extending this service to passengers presents a much larger challenge due to the high number of users on major routes.
Jimenez emphasized that providing Wi-Fi for 30-40 crew members is much different from accommodating up to 1,400 passengers. He said BC Ferries doesn’t want to reintroduce internet service if it would increase ticket prices, reports CHEK News.
For now, the focus will remain on testing Starlink for crew use. Jimenez said the company needs time to evaluate its partnership with Starlink before considering passenger service again.
BC Ferries originally introduced onboard Wi-Fi in 2010, but by 2021, the number of users overwhelmed the system, leading to its removal. The company said at the time that restoring the service would be costly, with those expenses likely passed on to passengers.
Jimenez also noted rising operating and capital costs for BC Ferries, predicting fares might need to increase by 30% by 2028 to keep up with demand.
Starlink is supported on cruise lines that have far more people than the biggest BC Ferries fleet. Sounds like the ferry corp continues to make excuses, as many have criticized it’s become a bloated organization with far too many managers.
