COZUMEL, Mexico–Passengers and crew members on the Norwegian Sun and other ships in the Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) fleet now are using satellite and other communications technologies to surf the Internet, send e-mails and receive onboard versions of The Wall Street Journal and other major newspapers the same day they are published.

NCL officials are finding that the onboard communications capabilities are meeting the needs of passengers and providing an additional source of revenues and profits.

For example, remote wireless Internet access, known as Wi-Fi, is one of the newest applications to be rolled out on cruise ships. It ultimately could become one of the most popular and practical communications services on the vessels. The new Wi-Fi service allows laptop users to work from an NCL cruise ship’s poolside, Internet Café, reception area, library and a meeting room.

Wi-Fi, a shorthand term for “wireless fidelity,” is a powerful communications tool. It is the most popular standard for wireless local area networks and it provides Internet access at a fast 11 megabits per second, NCL officials said. The cruise line is offering the service in a partnership with Maritime Telecommunications Networks, a provider of C- band and Inmarsat satellite services, and PCTEL, an Internet access company.

-Paul Dykewicz

(Johannes Krausland, Norwegian Cruise Lines, 305/436-4448)