Carnival Cruise Line is getting ready to make a major announcement at CES next month. Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation, which owns Carnival Cruise Line, is scheduled to give a keynote speech at CES where he is expected to unveil what they call their proprietary technology and innovation platform designed to transform how consumers experience vacations.
So, what could this announcement be? Since I am a wireless analyst, they think I can be helpful to them in spreading the word. That must be why they invited me to the keynote and their private reception. However, the bottom line is we won’t know until Jan. 4. With that said, let’s have some fun and take an educated guess.
One thing I have noticed recently is that every industry is turning to wireless, telecom and technology in their evolution. Lately, growth in many industries is coming from wireless and telecom connectivity. Companies in new sectors are calling to discuss their tomorrow in wireless.
This new direction in wireless is exciting, and as a wireless analyst for more than three decades, suddenly the whole world seems to be beating a path to my door. As an analyst, columnist, commentator and provocateur, I am busier than ever. That’s one of my barometers.
Many companies embracing wireless to transform
So many companies are moving into the wireless and telecom space. Companies like IBM Watson, which is keeping me up to speed on their continuing artificial intelligence evolution and growth, for example. Google moved into wireless with their Android operating system 10 years ago and more recently with their Nexus handsets. Now they are a service provider as a mobile virtual network operator. Apple with its iPhone is a computer maker, which is now a top wireless player.
Cable television companies like Comcast and Charter are about to give wireless another try in 2017. They failed at their first attempt several years ago, but then again so did Amazon.com with its Fire Phone. Could they be successful this time? The automotive industry is also jumping into the wireless space with technology on the dashboard, which is wirelessly connected to the internet.
So, you see, many different companies in many different industries are focusing on wireless and telecom for their next wave of growth. Wireless is not easy, but it is vital.
Competitive advantage in cruise line industry
The early companies in this space have a competitive advantage for a while. Then as competitors jump into the same space it simply becomes just another cost of doing business. However, some companies do a much better job and others don’t. Over time this is often what makes or breaks a company’s attempt at wireless and tech.
So, will this coming announcement from Carnival give them a competitive advantage in the cruise industry? The industry has changed, and no longer are passengers satisfied being disconnected from their world where they are always connected. So, the cruise industry must adapt or die.
I think the cruise industry has advanced over time, but it still has a long way to go to catch up to where we are today in our lives. Could that be what Carnival is going to introduce? The next, big step? I hope so.
I hope this Carnival announcement will be about improving and expanding their wireless and internet service so it will now work the way we use it today. If so, this new service could be available, wirelessly anywhere on the ship over smartphones and tablets, not just in a room. This service can be used before, during and after the cruise to communicate with Carnival, and may also be available off ship in the ports of different islands and countries.
Of course, affordable pricing is a large part of success. Perhaps they will partner with a network provider like AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, Sprint or T-Mobile US. Perhaps they will use a lesser known provider. Or maybe they will continue to deliver the service themselves.
So, what does a Carnival Cruise Line customer want?
The world has changed and the cruise industry has not kept up with that change. What Carnival customers want is the same thing every cruise customer wants: connectivity. The ability to use their smartphones, tablets and computers the same way they do at home or at work.
Travelers want to make phone calls, send text messages, email, use social networks, surf the web, watch television or movies and do everything they already do all day at home or in the office. And they want it to be affordable.
Innovate like AT& DirecTV Now offer mobile TV
Today, AT&T Mobility is changing customer expectations. It is letting users of DirecTV Now watch TV from anywhere, over the wireless network. That’s what consumers want from their cruise ship as well. After all, can you imagine staying in a hotel and not having an internet connection or wireless service? People often ask for rooms with a strong wireless signal.
That’s the challenge the entire cruise industry faces. Wireless and internet innovation has been painfully slow in this industry. Maybe, that’s what this announcement is all about: Carnival being the first cruise line to get up to speed in this new world.
That’s what they should focus on. In fact, that’s what every cruise line should focus on. The customer has changed over the years. Wireless, the internet, mobile TV, the “internet of things,” AI, virtual reality, the cloud and more are continuing to change the customer. That means the cruise lines must also change or risk losing business.
Carnival is hinting about an unprecedented guest experience based on wearable technology, digital platforms and IoT that will change vacations forever. They say these innovations will deliver a whole new level of personalization, interaction and simplicity for guests before, during and after a vacation.
So, for the cruise line industry to continue to grow, they must provide what customers want or else the customer will simply choose a different type of vacation that offers what they want and need. This is the choice the cruise line industry faces today.
