RigNet Renews Managed Remote Communications Services Contract

The Barents Sea is located in the outline portions of the Arctic Ocean, covering 542,000 square miles with depths in the major Bear Island Trench of 2,000 feet. The climate is sub-Arctic with winter air temperatures averaging -13° F and harsh winds that make it a challenging environment for deploying communications technology. However, RigNet, Inc., a global provider of managed remote communications solutions, telecoms systems integration services and collaborative applications to the oil and gas industry, has provided services to 1,100 remote sites in over 45 countries on six continents, and the Barents Sea is just another location it has come accustomed to dealing with.

The company announced it has renewed its contract with a major global offshore drilling contractor to manage remote communication services on an ultra-deep-water semi-submersible drilling rig operating in the Barents Sea.

Oil rigs in harsh environments rely on robust communication systems that are able to withstand extreme conditions and still deliver a connection that will be able to save the lives of everyone on these massive platforms in the event of an emergency.

In order to effectively deliver the communication services, RigNet upgraded the VSAT bandwidth for the rig to 8Mbps full duplex for operations in the Barents Sea close to 74 degrees north latitude. This solution has been demonstrated to provide enough capability with high uptime delivering high-quality VSAT solutions for several years under the harshest conditions the Barents Sea can whip out.

This connectivity will deliver accessibility to both offshore and onshore communications as well as a secure network which the oil and gas community relies on to relay its messages. This contract will also allow the rig to access business-critical IT applications with fully managed end-to-end IP networking solution using VSAT technology for last-mile connectivity.

The RigNet fully managed network solution includes VoIP, enterprise data and Internet access services supported by 24/7 network monitoring and support from RigNet's Network Operations Center. If local field technician support is required, the company provides backhaul to the company's offices via MPLS connection.

"This installation shows RigNet's commitment to developing innovative remote communications solutions in the Arctic region to support our energy customers. With this latest contract renewal and bandwidth upgrade, RigNet has shown the ability to accommodate the communication needs for expanding offshore rig operations in the Barents Sea," said Øyvind Folge, RigNet's Region VP, Scandinavia and Europe.