Our team of nearshore maritime connectivity experts immediately knew which countries have the longest coastlines as they are continuously reviewing Telecoms26’s global connectivity coverage maps and evaluating the networks and services available from MNOs, MVNOs and satellite providers.
Top of the charts is Canada with its 202,080 km/ 125,567 miles of coastline on the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Ocean.
Next up is Indonesia with 99,083 km/61,567 miles, the largest archipelago in the world comprising 17,508 islands of which about 6000 are inhabited. These islands span some 5000km east to west which means the country has three time azones.
Norway has the third longest coastline in the world - and the longest in Europe - at 58,133 km/ 36,122 miles adjoining the North Sea, the North Atlantic (also known as Norwegian Sea) and the Barents Sea.
When considering each country’s connectivity offering, Norway has the most sophisticated telecom market. This report from analyst firm BuddeCom says that Norway has “high broadband and mobile penetration rates, a highly developed digital media sector and a technologically savvy populace” with “Telenor the dominant operator in all sectors”.
However, Norway’s operators face the same challenges as those in Canada and Indonesia - building networks in remote coastal areas where fewer people live, and incomes are usually lower, is economically challenging. And so, many operators agree not to build competitive networks and share the burdens of remote connectivity. A sensible business decision which benefits locals, however, not quite so good for commercial and leisure sailors whose devices have to jump across networks.
Maritime Connectivity at Sea
Whether on-board the largest of container ships or a one-person yacht, sailing has been transformed by electronic communications and the development of IoT and AI technologies enabling constant contact and real-time monitoring of a boat’s position and condition.
For years, satellite has been the mainstay for maritime connectivity - nearshore and offshore. Fact is, however, that most vessels spend the majority of their time in port or hugging the coast. This means that it’s far more cost-effective to use existing cellular networks for nearshore maritime connectivity rather than satellite.
However, the major problem with the cellular at sea approach is that traditionally multiple SIMs have been required to ensure coverage throughout a vessel’s journey, especially when it’s travelling cross-border.
With the specific goal of improving connectivity at sea - and in remote landlocked areas around the world, Telecom26 developed its Multi-IMSI global SIM cards paired with the Telecom26 cellular router, which are at the heart of our nearshore maritime connectivity and global IoT maritime connectivity services.
With just one of our SIMs the devices of sailors will automatically and seamlessly switch from one local network to another throughout their voyage.
Telecom26 SIMs are compatible with 1100 cellular networks from over 620 mobile operators in more than 220 countries which means that wherever your sea legs take you, we’ll be connecting you all the way.
Smart yachts: communicating data from multiple on-board sensors
For vessles that have, or will have, multiple sensors tracking the condition of both the ship and its contents, a more sophisticated solution is needed.
This is where Telecom26’s multi-IMSI routers come in. These act as a single route into the on-board IoT network and, like our single global SIMs, can automatically switch between multiple cellular networks - and wifi, LANs and satellite - so that they always use the best available connected network.
With rates as low as €2 per GB, and data bundles of up to 2.5TB, Telecom26’s nearshore maritime connectivity and global IoT maritime connectivity service is now even more affordable - and optimised for yachts, ships and offshore infrastructure.
To learn more about Telecom26’s suite of nearshore maritime connectivity and global IoT maritime connectivity services please visit click here.
