MARITIME MOBILE SERVICE

MARIITIIME MOBIILE SERVIICE
The Maritime, or Marine, Radio Services have evolved from
the earliest practical uses of radio. In 1900, just 6 years after
Marconi demonstrated his “wireless” radio, devices were
being installed aboard ships to enable them to receive storm
warnings transmitted from stations on shore. Today, the
same principle applies in using both shipboard and land stations
in the marine services to safeguard life and property at
sea. Both types of stations are also used to aid marine navigation,
commerce, and personal business, but such uses are
secondary to safety, which has international priority.
The Marine Radio Services include the Maritime Mobile
Service, the Maritime Mobile-Satellite Service, the Port
Operations Service, the Ship Movement Service, the Maritime
Fixed Service, and the Maritime Radiodetermination Service.

Maritime Mobile Service is an internationally allocated
radio service providing for safety of life and property at
sea and on inland waterways.

Maritime Mobile-Satellite Service provides frequencies
for public correspondence between ships and public coast
stations as well as between aircraft and public coast stations
and coast earth stations. The transmission of public
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correspondence from aircraft must not cause interference
to maritime communications.

Port Operations Service provides frequencies for intership
communications related to port operations in coastal
harbors, allowing the vessel traffic to be managed more
efficiently while protecting the marine environment from
vessel collisions and groundings.

Ship Movement Service provides frequencies for communications
relating to the operational handling of the
movement and the safety of ships and, in emergency, to
the safety of persons.

Maritime Fixed Service provides frequencies for communications
equipment installed on oil drilling platforms,
lighthouses, and maritime colleges.

Maritime Radiodetermination Service provides frequencies
for determining position, velocity, and other characteristics
of vessels.
Summary
Together, shipboard and land stations in the Marine Services
are meant to serve the needs of the entire maritime community.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates
these services both for ships of U.S. registry that sail in
international and foreign waters and for all marine activities
in U.S. territory. For this and other reasons, the rules make
a distinction between compulsory users of marine radio for
safety at sea and noncompulsory uses for purposes other
than safety. In addition, rules concerning domestic marine
communications are matched to requirements of the U.S.
Coast Guard, which monitors marine distress frequencies
continuously to protect life and property in U.S. waters.