Published Updated
Why Your Phone Says 901 at Sea
If your phone shows the 901 18 or Cellular at Sea network names mid-ocean, nothing is wrong. 901 is the international code reserved for networks that don’t belong to any single country, and 901 18 is Cellular at Sea’s own code within it. Your phone is displaying the maritime network it’s connected to, the same way it would display a foreign cellular carrier’s name abroad.
- 901 18
- Cellular At Sea
What 901 actually is
901 is the international code shared by networks that operate outside any single country, like maritime networks and satellite services.
Maritime networks
Satellite services
Every mobile network in the world carries a country code: the phone-network kind, not the dialing kind. France’s networks start with one code, Japan’s with another; networks without a home country use 901 instead. Within that family, each operator has its own number, and 901 18 identifies Cellular at Sea.
Why the name on screen varies
The network transmits its identifiers: Cellular at Sea and 901 18. What your screen ultimately displays depends on three things, in order: what the network transmits, what’s configured on your SIM, and what your phone manufacturer has configured for unrecognized networks.
The network
Your SIM
Your device
The first is the network’s; the other two belong to your SIM and your device, which is why two phones on the same ship can show different names for the same network.
Does seeing 901 mean I’m being charged?
Seeing the 901 network name means your phone is connected to Cellular at Sea, the same as seeing any carrier’s name means you’re on their network. Connection and billing are separate things.
The network
Your SIM
Whether usage costs anything, and how much, is governed by your home carrier’s roaming terms and any cruise package you have; cruise ship roaming charges, explained discusses billing.
FAQ
What is the 901 network on my phone?
901 is the international code for mobile networks that don’t belong to a single country. At sea, 901 18 is Cellular at Sea, the cellular network operating aboard your ship.
Is 901 18 a scam or rogue network?
No. It’s the legitimate cellular network aboard 210+ cruise ships, operated by Wireless Maritime Services (WMS). The unfamiliar code exists because international waters have no country code to display.
My phone says Cellular at Sea but my friend’s says 901 18. Why?
Both are the same network. What displays depends on your SIM and phone manufacturer settings, which vary by device and carrier.
Should I disconnect from 901 when I see it?
That depends on your plans for the trip, not on the network name. If you intend to use your phone at sea, this is the network that makes it work and you should leave it on.
More questions? See the FAQs.