MARITIME
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Although telecommunications technology is improving quickly, people
at sea do not have access to the same telecommunications infrastructure
people ashore have. Mariners not only need to access international
shore telephone and data public switched networks, but also, they
need to be able to communicate with other ships of any size or nationality,
to receive and send urgent maritime safety information, and to send
or receive distress alerts in an emergency to or from rescue coordination
centers ashore and nearby ships anywhere in the world.
Unlike cellular telephones and
land mobile radios used in the United States, maritime telecommunications
systems must be internationally interoperable, even in United States
coastal waters, where numerous foreign ships sail. Bringing new
telecommunications technology to mariners can be difficult, since
to be interoperable, the technology must be affordable, acceptable
and available to most ships and maritime countries.
Two United Nations-chartered organizations, the International Maritime Organization
and the International Telecommunications
Union, are responsible for defining and regulating maritime
telecommunications systems. The most current system adopted by these
two organizations is the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System,
or GMDSS. Morse wireless telegraphy, used by ships for distress
and safety communications since the beginning of the century, was
discontinued by the USCG in 1995, and ceased worldwide on February
1, 1999. Many people owe their lives to this system.
The links on the left will lead you to several informative sections
regarding Maritime Telecommunications, including the Universal Shipborne
Automatic Identification System, Digital Selective Calling, the
Global Maritime Distress and Safety Systems, and much more. You
may send comments or questions regarding this section of our web
site to cgcomms@uscg.mil.
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