Ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship radio communications systems have been around for a long time, but over the last couple of decades or so, they lost some of their lustre when digital communication systems began to gain prominence due to ease of use and cost benefits.
And why not?
Digital communications, using inexpensive mobile handsets which can connect people via satellites that cover the whole globe, are ubiquitous. In a relatively short time, they took over as the preferred method of voice and data transmissions for almost all walks of life.
But there is a caveat.