Signalhorn Chosen by SOCAR for Swiss Chain of Petrol Stations

SOCAR Energy Switzerland has chosen Signalhorn to migrate and manage the telecommunications and other network services of its chain of petrol/gas stations in Switzerland. The long-term contract encompasses point-of-service (POS) operations at 160 Swiss gas stations, including payment processing.

Network solutions provider Signalhorn will handle the day-to-day operations of POS as well as a range of fundamental solutions for SOCAR Energy Switzerland. The company is owned by SOCAR, the state-owned energy company of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Signalhorn will be managing POS operations via an integrated combination of satellite, 3G, DSL, MPLS and Internet-based solutions. The company will also provide a broad range of managed services in support of the operations' complex software, security and transport requirements.

The solutions provider already supports about 10,000 POS sites throughout the world. They have a broad depth of experience working within the telecommunications market, specifically with services involving payment processing networks.            

"The agreement with SOCAR Energy Switzerland showcases our company's ability to build, rollout and manage complex, technology-agnostic POS networks," said Helmut Boettcher, vice president of oil and gas sales for Signalhorn. "Our solution uses a combination of terrestrial and satellite capabilities that provide redundancy and ensure that the retail outlets can provide purchase convenience to customers while maximizing reliability with 100 percent connectivity."

SOCAR acquired the entire Swiss business of Esso Schweiz GmbH from ExxonMobil in July of 2012, which includes the Esso brand network of service stations.

"After the acquisition of the Swiss sites, we looked for the right communications provider for our retail stations," said Stefan Plogmann, IT manager of SOCAR Energy Switzerland. "Signalhorn already provided the connectivity for the previous owner, ExxonMobil. Consequently they immediately understood our objectives and crafted the new terrestrial solution to fit our needs, allowing us to streamline our networks."