Introduction
Connectivity in the global ferry market has been a topic on our radar for some time. Ferries are rarely discussed in the wider passenger commercial maritime market, as attention tends to be drawn to the lucrative ocean-going cruise sector.
This is hardly surprising, given that companies such as Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean are often seen as the “crown jewels” of passenger connectivity. Some of the larger cruise vessels pay as much as $250,000 per month for satellite, cellular, and other communications services. Ask the teams at O3b or SpaceX, and they’ll happily tell you about the substantial revenues generated from these ocean cruise customers, similar to how British and Irish Lions fans are celebrated in Australia right now.
Explaining the Ecosystem
While Carnival Cruise is perceived as the overlord of ocean cruises, a different names resonates in the world of ferries. For customer volumes, PT ASDP Indonesia Ferries or Persero is certainly a duke or prince.
Operating in a country made up of thousands of islands, this government-owned operator is among the largest ferry companies globally. With a fleet of 160 vessels covering 289 routes, ASDP serves approximately 49 million passengers annually, generating around $240 million in revenue. (For perspective, Indonesia’s population is only slightly smaller than that of the United States.)
In Europe, the top operators include Stena Line and the Grimaldi Group (which includes Finnlines, Minoan Lines, and Trasmed).
- Stena Line operates about 44 ships on 20 routes, transporting over 6 million passengers and 2 million freight units annually. While Stena Group’s total revenue is around $3 billion, the ferry division likely accounts for close to $1 billion.
- Grimaldi Group, including Finnlines, specialises in freight-passenger RoPax services across the Baltic, North Sea, and UK–Ireland routes, with Finnlines alone reporting around $800 million in yearly revenues.
In North America, BC Ferries is the leading operator (probably a Baron or Viscount), running 41 vessels to serve coastal communities in British Columbia and generating approximately $550 million in 2023.
Globally, there are roughly 15,000 ferries in operation, compared to only 250–300 ocean-going cruise vessels.
How does it differ from Cruise Vessels?
The dynamics of ferry operations differ significantly from cruise vessels:
- Shorter routes: ferry journeys typically last hours rather than days or weeks (apart from the Scandi ones).
- Passenger behaviour: ferry passengers are less “captive” than cruise guests, leading to less onboard spending on premium connectivity.
- Demographics and affluence: cruise passengers are generally older and wealthier than ferry travellers (aside from occasional ticket giveaways).
- Purpose of travel: ferries are primarily for transportation from A to B, whereas cruises offer a luxury holiday experience with extensive entertainment options (casinos, water parks, rock climbing, rowing on ergs, skiing on ergs, Michelin-star dining, etc.).
- Coverage area: ferries usually stay within coastal coverage, rarely relying solely on satellite links.
Nevertheless, connectivity remains essential for passengers, crew, operational technologies, payment systems, and more.
The Past State of Play
Historically, many ferries lacked satellite connectivity.
Either they didn’t operate in open waters (hence GMDSS was unnecessary), or they relied on radio and cellular networks.
GEO VSAT capabilities were largely confined to premium operators in Europe and North America, and numbered around 1,500 ferry vessels, so says our crystal ball.
The arrival of LEO broadband has transformed this landscape. Cost effective packages with high bandwidth make satellite connectivity a much more attractive proposition. The service makes it a no-brainer for hesitant ferry operators.
Ferry Connectivity Needs?
A ferry’s connectivity network typically includes:
- Free passenger Internet
- Paid premium Internet packages
- Crew Internet access
- IoT and OT systems
- Payment processing
- Administrative networks
- Server/Active Directory traffic
- Voice services (cellular and VoIP)
- VBX systems
As such, a typical European ferry vessel will use a combination of radiolink, LEO broadband, MSS, GEO VSAT, or cellular if within reach.
A ferry operator will often need to dynamically allocate bandwidth, adjust and direct individual data channels to each of its vessels, depending upon their route.
For example, newer and bigger vessels would desire 150-200 Mbps of downlink bandwidth while its medium-sized vessels could be 70-100 Mbps or even smaller, between 30-50 Mbps. Desired bandwidth will be asymmetric. However, it is like IoT and OT will have higher demands from vessel to shore (uplink) in the future.
To provide some context, with a 100 Mbps link, a ferry operator will usually link a user to 10-20 MB max, unless it’s a purchased data package.
Limitations, Challenges and Solutions
Ensuring that each vessel and its route aligns with the appropriate European telecom providers remains one of the ferry operator’s greatest challenges. In many cases, operators require multiple SIM cards and separate contracts with several major telecom companies across Europe. (National operators typically do not encounter this issue.)
Very few mobile operators offer unlimited data plans. Furthermore, contracts often require staff to be physically present in the operator’s country to purchase and activate services, adding logistical complexity.
In Europe, Nowhere Networks is emerging as a dominant player in radiolink connectivity. The company specialises in deploying radiolink networks across the continent, typically installing four motorised antennas on each vessel. Antenna height is a crucial factor, the taller, the better. Each antenna can transmit and receive 100 Mbps, allowing for a theoretical total of 400 Mbps per vessel. Notably, each antenna targets a different land site, significantly improving system redundancy.
The main drawback of this technology is its limited coverage: radiolink becomes unusable when vessels are too far offshore or outside areas with land-based masts. The maximum effective range is estimated at 40–50 nautical miles.
The Role of SD-WAN
What is becoming interesting clear from a user’s perspective is the capabilities of the user’s SD-WAN technologies. Companies, such as Quvia, have made big inroads in the cruise passenger and aviation market with their technologies and services. The same could be noted for Nowhere Networks in the ferry market.
Speaking to ferry operators, ideally, they want a carrier that is independent of the network, or flexible in the agreement terms. Say, the ability to switch between OneWeb Eutelsat and Starlink, or even Kuiper or Rivada in the near future.
Over the last two years, traffic management software has made enormous leaps forward, enabling greater transparency on cost routing, flat rate or pooling across vessels.
Conclusion
Our key takeaways from this dissection of the global ferry market:
- LEO broadband connectivity has unlocked significant growth market potential for ferry market.
- Operators increasingly demand greater flexibility and independence from the network operator
- As such, operators place a greater emphasis on their chosen SD-WAN technologies to acquire greater cost controls, and multi-network agility.
However, they will spend more on their SD-WAN technology. - As of 2024, our estimates for GEO VSAT passenger vessels were around 1,900 worldwide, ferries accounted for more than 75 per cent of these numbers. GEO VSAT usage is expected to decline over the long term, while the LEO market could be 5–10 times larger than the GEO VSAT segment as it penetrates cellular and radiolink ferries.
For more information on the revenue opportunities of the ferry market, please look at our latest report, The Future of Maritime Connectivity – 2025 edition. Furthermore, if you’re interested in a dedicated study on Maritime SD-WAN Technologies, please email us here.
