interWAVE Communications International (USA), a pioneer in the wireless network market, together with BT A&M, an operator of aeronautical and maritime telecommunications solutions, announced that the companies completed the first successful technical trial of a wireless communications system to provide full GSM coverage on P&O Cruises' flagship Aurora.

interWAVE's wireless network solution will enable passengers with standard GSM mobile telephones to receive and place calls when the ship is outside normal coverage areas.
To provide GSM coverage and capacity to the cruise liner, interWAVE and BT A&M installed an innovative wireless application that utilizes the latest in scalable GSM network elements, satellite back-haul compression and transmission techniques.

Once passengers use this on-board communications system, they will be billed in the same convenient way as they are with international roaming. This cost-effective solution can also be targeted at the much greater numbers of medium-sized cruise ships and passenger ferries.