COMMUNICATIONS • TELEMETRY
SATELLITE SOLUTIONS get cost-competitive
Bryan Young reports on how oil & gas pipeline and remote data monitoring applications are seeing dramatic increases in speeds and capacity at a greatly reduced cost thanks to a breakthrough in satellite technology
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s the industry looks for additional ways to cut costs while trying to endure the drastic drop in global oil prices, there is at least one
line item that until now had to be accepted; the high costs for remote network access via satellite. Used for everything from generating real-time information about unmanned pipelines and oilfield operations to workers accessing the ethernet and internet, without satellite communications the industry giants risk disruptions that could create environmental disasters, production outages or other financial pain.
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But a recent breakthrough in commercial satellite technology is allowing monthly rates to plummet, saving oil & gas companies hundreds of thousands of dollars per installation per year, while greatly increasing upload/download speeds - for operations that are out of microwave and hardwired areas. As a result, companies searching for ways to pinch pennies are taking a hard look at network infrastructure expenditures. James Clemons, a US-based expert in oil & gas communications, believes satellite technology is drastically improving with each passing year and will only get better. Speed and stability during periods of violent weather are among the advances.
He also says convenience is another
advantage that oil & gas companies can expect. When a well dries up and operations must be moved from one isolated terrain to another, there is no need to buy a new satellite. Tis advance in technology allows for these modern satellites to be mobile. Simply pick up the tripod and relocate it anywhere within the contiguous 48 states and stay connected. “It’s a definite improvement and less expensive. You can radio several remote locations into one master,” Clemons says. High premiums became the norm for industrial satellite internet connections in part because the technology was just not advanced enough (until now) to handle
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