System and method for providing alternate wireless and network service in a bandwidth constrained environment

Abstract

Methods and systems for providing alternate wireless and network service on a cruise ship or in other remote or isolated “captive” environments where available wireless communication options tend to be limited and / or bandwidth constrained. Aspects of the disclosed systems and methods allow existing wireless customers to continue using their normal wireless phone and phone number in the captive environments while still easily avoiding large roaming and bandwidth charges, all while nearly transparently maintaining the full range of normal wireless voice, text, and MMS services.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention[0001]The present invention is directed generally to improvements in the field of wireless interconnected telecommunication systems and methods, especially systems and methods for providing alternate voice, text, picture and / or data service on cruise ships or in other remote, isolated and / or bandwidth constrained environments, which for purposes of these descriptions may be referred to as “captive environments” via WiFi and VoIP.2. Description of Related Art[0002]Wireless interconnected telecommunication services such as VoIP have long been an alternative to conventional cellular, PBX, and other voice and messaging type communication systems and services. “VoIP” refers to “Voice over Internet Protocol,” a designation which has evolved to commonly refer to a wide array of communication protocols, technologies, methodologies, and transmission techniques involved in the delivery of voice and multimedia communication sessions over Inte...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides methods and systems for providing wireless service on cruise ships and in other captive environments. The invention allows wireless users to easily avoid large roaming and bandwidth charges while maintaining their normal wireless services. The invention is mostly transparent to the user, as they can continue using their own smartphone with the same phone numbers and functions even when they leave the cruise ship. The invention also prioritizes data delivery and allows for the processing of large files according to the operator's rules, rather than passing them through real-time. Overall, the invention provides a solution for providing wireless service in challenging environments without compromising bandwidth or adding significant costs.

Problems solved by technology

Although Wireless interconnected services and related systems are widely available as alternatives to conventional cellular-based telecommunications services in most markets, that availability has historically been dramatically diminished where competition tends to be limited, such as on cruise ships and in other captive environments.

In such remote, relatively non-competitive business environments, many service providers have the opportunity to lock customers onto their networks and charge exorbitant fees—for seemingly any and all device-based voice and / or data communications, whether hardwired or wireless.

Moreover, end users in captive environments often receive limited voice, data, text, and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS, a standard for picture messaging) services as compared to services available in typical metropolitan or other land-based areas.

Even further challenges arise in captive environments when “roaming”—a term typically referring to the extension of wireless telecommunication service to a location that is different from the home location where the wireless device's end user registered with a home carrier for service.

The carriers providing service in captive environments such as cruise ships typically charge large fees and dramatically limit access while roaming.

As a result, end users in such environments often and easily incur charges that greatly exceed their expected monthly bill.

On the ocean, cruise ships typically have only a very limited data connection to the internet via satellite.

Moreover, because cruise ship travelers are a captive audience with little or no competition for the provision of telecommunications services, and because cruise ship operators tend to have limited technical competencies in how to provide telecommunications services, end users often are not able to receive services similar to those they receive while land-based.

Even when and to the extent that communication services are available on a cruise ship, the available communications service providers contracted by cruise ships typically exact exorbitant fees.

Cellular phone service is exorbitantly expensive.

Wireless services including calling, text and picture messaging are, more often than not, unavailable and / or incur similarly exorbitant fees.

These challenges and others leave wireless customers on a cruise ship with the unsatisfactory choice of either (A) paying huge fees for diminished wireless services or (B) doing without their normal wireless services.

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