OceanPhone Mobile calling app for crew from MTN. Photo: MTN Satellite Communications

[Via Satellite 02-27-2014] MTN Communications has announced the availability of its first calling app for maritime crew. MTN’s OceanPhone Mobile leverages the Wi-Fi infrastructure on vessels along with the MTN network to provide calling and messaging to crews at sea.

The OceanPhone Mobile, an extension of MTN’s OceanPhone calling solution, gives crew members the opportunity to stay in touch using their personal smartphones and tablets, enabling access to family and friends at home or to crewmates on other vessels. Features of this app include free text messaging, a dedicated personal telephone number for each user, voicemail and access to all existing contacts.

“Extending our OceanPhone product, which is already on 96 vessels around the world, to a mobile app was a natural evolution,” said Chris Leber, executive vice president of commercial business development at MTN. “Our goal for this product was to allow crew to be able to use their own devices to make and receive calls, no matter the market. But we also had to take into account the family and friends back home and on other vessels.”