Philippines’s SMART Communications inc. said it has tied up with foreign telecom firms which include Maritime Communications Partner (MCP) from Norway to offer mobile roaming connectivity on board cruise ships and luxury ferries worldwide.
The service, called Coastline Roaming, allows postpaid and prepaid Smart subscribers to send and receive calls and text messages on select cruise ships and liners without having to change their phone numbers or handsets.
In a statement, Smart said it was the first Philippine telco to offer this service. Its foreign partners for the service are AT&T (Cingular) of the United States; Telecom Italia, Italy, and Manx Maritime, Isle of Man. OceanCell of Iceland is another upcoming partner.
Services using coastline roaming follow the same billing principles as regular land-based roaming.
