Zhoushan firm provides internet access for fishermen at sea

The Maritime Communications Technology Co in the Ocean Science City of Zhoushan, Dinghai district, Zhoushan city, has recently developed a maritime broadband communications system for fishermen to gain easy access to the internet while they are at sea.

The company, wholly owned by the China Electronics Technology Group Corp, is one of the first companies to settle in the Ocean Science City and the only one in Zhejiang province that integrates satellite communications & management, fishing vessel management and product R&D.

"Fishermen just need to buy our base station equipment to gain access to the one-stop internet service while they are at sea, with which they can do things such as contact their families, search for information and do office work," said Yang Fenghui, executive director of the company, adding that they have different products for different vessel types.

The company has also established a management system for recording the whereabouts of fishing vessels, the only one of its kind in Zhoushan, so to guarantee the safety of fishermen at sea and respond to their internet needs in a timely manner. 

In the past, vessels at sea mainly used broadband services via satellite, however this was costly. The new internet service will cut annual fees by half, said Yang.

To date, over 1,000 vessels have gained access to the internet via services provided by the company, not only in Zhoushan, but in other places in Zhejiang province and also in other provinces such as Jiangsu, Guangdong and Shandong.