The spread of mobile phones and ever better network coverage is now also having an impact on marine radio. Although radio remains the first choice for fast communication from ship to ship, both for professionals and on yachts, calling is faster than dialling.
But telephoning from the sea via coastal radio stations to the land network is hardly used any more. However, 32 of the 56 international maritime radio channels were intended for precisely this purpose. These are set up for duplex operation: Ships and coastal radio stations transmit on different frequencies; this prevents mutual interference. Many of the channels are now unused and cannot be used for anything else due to their design. The assignment between channel numbers and frequencies was therefore revised in mid-2017, resulting in new channels. In addition, radio devices must be equipped with an integrated GPS from this autumn.
