M2MBlue B.V.

Getting On Board And Online

Luxurious river cruises require not only impressive logistics but also an extensive understanding of customers’ needs. Especially in the five-star segment, it’s no longer enough to provide star-cuisine, exquisite bedding and well-balanced leisure activities. Customers also demand to get online whenever they choose, via the same broadband Internet they’re used to at home or at work and keep in touch with family and friends or their coworkers via emails, photos, video conferences, but also use video-on-demand services etc. As leading network-independent connectivity specialist in the field of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, M2MBlue is an expert when it comes to providing river cruise vessels and super yachts with the broadband connectivity they desire. And here’s why M2MBlue counts on Viprinet technology to help fulfill these high-speed demands.

Overview of benefits

  • Combination of several mobile providers
  • Distinct increase in availability, resilience, and bandwidth
  • Flexible adaptation of data volume during peak times
  • Cost reduction by scarcer use of satellite links

The Challenge

Connecting river cruise vessels and super yachts to the Internet is challenging: They are constantly in motion and they cross not only regions with possibly poor mobile reception but also country borders. In addition, customers of river cruises usually leave their ships for adventures and return in large groups, creating a sudden traffic peak when mobile phones, tablets and laptops are used for communication and entertainment. While M2MBlue was able to provide broadband Internet all along, their goal was to enhance their connectivity solution by bonding several mobile data links to form one highly available, resilient, and flexible connection for all applications that would resist poor mobile reception, crossing borders, and traffic peaks while at the same time being easily manageable and more economic.

Implementation

M2MBlue already operated a solution that consisted of VSAT elements and a single modem. In order to achieve higher bandwidths by bonding, Multichannel VPN Routers 1610 or 2620—depending on circumstances—were equipped with several 4G or LTE 450 Hotplug Modules for different mobile providers and securely implemented to complement the existing solution. For best reception, high-quality antennas were added to the ships’ roofs. As a second step, four Multichannel VPN Hubs 5010 were implemented in one of M2MBlue’s data centers to create a highly secure bonded VPN connection with the ships out at the sea and rivers. Subsequently, separate WiFi networks for the ships’ internal appliances used for management and communication with the home base on the one hand and user services like TV, VoD, Skype and data exchange in general on the other hand were set up. Through all phases of the project, M2MBlue was able to rely on the technical expertise of the Viprinet support team whenever needed.

Result

Providing river cruise ships and super yachts with high-speed Internet for the most diverse on-board tasks is becoming more and more of a decisive factor for possible customers. M2MBlue is a pioneer when it comes to maritime connectivity and as such has recognized bonding as a very effective way to meet the ever-rising bandwidth demands of their crews and customers. Viprinet’s well-proven technology enables M2MBlue with their task, creating highly reliable high-speed connectivity by bonding the links of several mobile data providers while at the same time minimizing the outage risk of a single link. M2MBlue is now able to flexibly react to sudden peaks in traffic when passengers return from excursions and at the same time save costs by avoiding expensive satellite connections.

Customer Opinion

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Internet access on-board is business-critical for the maritime sector. With Viprinet, we can easily adapt our IT infrastructure to the ever-growing bandwidth demands while keeping costs economical.

Jacco Batavier, CTO
M2MBlue, Amhem

Customer Profile

M2MBlue B.V.

  • Business sector: Maritime
  • Sites: 3 (Budapest, Amhem, Enschede)
  • Established: 2015 (Project advisor BSS founded in 1993 and incorporated in 2017)
  • Employees: 15

Project Facts

Creating reliable on-board high-speed Internet access for cruise ships and super yachts

Hardware used:

  • 26x Multichannel VPN Routers 2620
  • 52x Multichannel VPN Routers 1610
  • 4x Multichannel VPN Hub 5010
  • 80x 4G Europe/Australia/Africa Modules
  • 80x 4G Europe LTE 450 Modules

Project launch: 2010

Number of sites connected: 52

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