spring 2013

©OffComm News ~ Spring 2013 www.OffCommNews.com

Spring 2013

For buyers and suppliers of telecommunications

destined for remote & harsh environments

Tapping into

Emerging Markets

Where Telecoms & Energy Connect

New

Operator & supplier

directory inside!

Special Insight Report REMOTE COMMUNICATIONSREMOTE COMMUNICATIONS Challenges New Biz Models Vendor Advice

Get the Lowdown

» Cost effective Ka band 3 years away » Emerging verticals set to grow » IT Trends for 2013 » Mobile satellite constellation on the threshold » Satellite SCADA M2M expansion projections » Rugged Rigs » $400 Discount *see page 14* PLUS The Quarterly, News, Features & much more inside! » » »

©OffComm News ~ Spring 2013 www.OffCommNews.com 2


Welcome Gunning for security is a big issue. Dealing

with the threat, of physical hijacking in the

maritime sector, swallowed a staggering

$7billion in increasing security as well as

paying ransoms during 2011. Simply upping

the ante for defence with an armed approach,

while a deterrent, isn’t the only option. We

took a look at this in a little more detail (see page 7) and

will continue to investigate in more depth over future

editions. Furthermore, ensuring that essential alerts, as well

as operational data, has the means to get through is as

critical as pre-empting the threats themselves. If you’re

faced with tackling bandwidth bottlenecks at the edge of a

network, take a look at the article on page 12 written by

Lawrence Poynter at iOra. In it he explores cost efficient

connectivity solutions to help employees working in remote

locations, challenged by severe bandwidth constraints, have

access to the same information as users on the main

corporate network.

For vendors and users in the remote connectivity

landscape, whether existing or simply researching the

sector, we also had a look at cases for alternative business

models. You can read about our findings in the Special

Remote Insight Report, a regular feature in OffComm News,

starting on page 19. And there's plenty of helpful advice for

vendors looking to claim a piece of the pie on page 22.

As always, if you have any comments we’d love to hear

from you.

Georgina Elrington

[email protected]

PS: Fancy a date in Paris? OffComm News will be at the

SubOptic event in April (see page 17). If you would like to

meet up, get in touch.

Spring 2013

Your resource for telecoms destined for remote and harsh environments In Print. Online. Offshore.

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Inside this Issue

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Diary on pages 16 & 17

A Giant Leap for Communications Meet the man responsible for the Red Bull Stratos

project’s comms in this special feature.

Page 9

Tapping into the Potential of Emerging Markets Discover key barriers for investment in emerging markets

and the attitudes of senior decision makers towards

opportunities relating to the oil and gas sector.

Page 25

Data Delivery to Ships at Sea Case study on improving speed, reducing cost for updates

and changes to management system documentation.

Page 23

Special Insight Report What’s next for the remote comms market?

Experts from some of the most established players shaping

the next generation of remote communication share their

opinions. PLUS: Key advice for vendors eyeing the market.

Page 19

Improving IT Efficiency via Remote Access How staff manage an IT environment is not always apparent, and can add significant cost to any organisation. Page 27

Beating Bandwidth Bottlenecks Lawrence Poynter at iOra, explores connectivity to help

those hindered by bandwidth constraints in remote

locations.

Page 12

Next edition: Summer 2013 Out in April

Looking for a solution? Check out the OCN 2013 directory on page 28. Want to be in it? See the website.

The Quarterly on pages 4 & 5

OffComm News magazine supports

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e-SEA Crew Welfare for Zaratan

Seajacks, an owner and operator of purpose-built self-propelled jack-up vessels, has

installed a dual antenna system on another rig: The Zaratan. The installation of the e-SEA

system has made browsing the internet and communicating with the outside world a far

more enjoyable experience for the crew onboard, leading to a happier and more

productive workforce. The vessel is designed to service the wind farm installation market

in the harsh operating environment of the North Sea, as well as to provide services to

the oil and gas industry. ”The e-SEA system from Woodsons is excellent for crew morale,

welfare considerations, downloading attachments, web surfing and just great to have on

board. It is essential really in this day and age,” said Captain of Pacific Blade.

The Quarterly OffComm News Round Up

News in brief

On the Threshold for Mobile

Satellite Constellation

Globalstar, Inc., a mobile satellite

voice and data services company,

has six satellites waiting at the

Baikonur Cosmodrome in

Kazakhstan for launch early

February 2013. Once deployed,

the fleet will position the

company as the first mobile

satellite service provider to

deploy a second generation

constellation of low earth orbit

satellites.

Satellite Locator App

Norsat’s Satellite Locator app

enables users to locate

geostationary satellites, assess

obstructions in the line of sight

and point satellite ground

terminals. The customisable

application overlays a spatially

accurate arc of satellites on the

mobile phone or tablet screen,

and includes a complete almanac

of satellite information. The app is

available as a free download on

both the AppStore and Google

Play.

Rugged Rigs

Redline Communications Group

Inc. has shipped over 300 of its

RAS wireless nomadic systems,

providing broadband connectivity

to oil and gas drilling rigs in the

U.S. and the Middle East. A high

speed, long range connection

capability allows rigs to become

part of a larger network with

access to corporate systems and

the internet, effectively turning

them into ruggedized connected

offices, regardless of whether

they are five or 500 miles from

the shore based office.

Inflight Broadband

Six transponders of Ku band

capacity over three SES satellites

will enable Gogo broadband in

the sky to aircraft flying busy

transatlantic routes.

Radius has teamed with Cyta, which

provides landing facilities and collocation

services, to create the Poseidon. The

system is a high capacity undersea cable

providing telecommunications facilities to

the offshore oil and gas industry in the

Eastern Mediterranean region.

Through Cyta’s telecommunications hub,

Radius will provide offshore customers with

secure, low-latency broadband connections.

Extending for some 800km from two shore

landings in Cyprus, Poseidon will create a

self-healing ring that borders the Cypriot

EEZ, enveloping the offshore oil and gas

lease blocks established for development

by the Republic of Cyprus.

www.radiusocean.com

www.cytaglobal.com

Telecoms for offshore oil & gas in eastern Mediterranean

24 Hours

That's all it takes to get a VSAT up and

running, according to the new commitment

from Marlink, an Astrium Services company.

It has developed a concise antenna

installation and commissioning system to

have vessels fully connected to Marlink's

WaveCall standardised VSAT service in just

one day.

Poseidon 800km Offshore

Remote access services account for 88 percent of all breaches See page 27

Next Edition: Summer 2013 Focus on Crew Welfare

Legislation Device control offshore

Infotainment &

Rig Connectivity Crew calling cards. A review of

provisions, impacts and cost control

Deepwater Accommodation

for 400 in Progress

A subsidiary of McDermott International, Inc.

has signed a contract for the design and

construction of a new vessel, tentatively

named: Derrick Lay Vessel 2000. It is to be

constructed at Keppel Singmarine in

Singapore and is expected to take

approximately 2.5 years to build. On

completion, the vessel will be able to

accommodate up to 400 personnel.

http://www.radiusocean.com/

http://www.cytaglobal.com/


News in brief

Quarters for 450

Prosafe has entered into a contract

with Jurong Shipyard Pte Ltd. in

Singapore for the construction of a

second harsh environment semi-

submersible accommodation rig.

The unit will have the capacity to

accommodate 450 persons in

single man cabins. The company

was also awarded a contract by Elf

Exploration UK Ltd for the

provision of the Safe Bristolia

accommodation support rig at the

Elgin-Franklin Facility in the British

sector of the North Sea.

100 Crew Accommodated in New

Offshore Vessel

Kleven has signed a contract with

Rem Offshore for the build of a

large offshore construction vessel.

With a length of 108 meters and a

width of 22 meters, it will be one

of the largest offshore vessels

Kleven has built, with capacity to

accommodate 100 crew.

Telemedicine Offshore

NuPhysicia and Harris CapRock

Communications have completed

an alliance agreement that creates

a standardised and optimised

telemedicine technology for

customers across the energy,

government and maritime markets.

NuPhysicia's InPlace Medical

Solutions is a telemedicine-based

offshore and remote medical

service that offers medical access

and quality health care through an

effective telemedicine physician

presence at a site.

3,500 Ships Get Connectivity

Globecomm Systems Inc. reached a

maritime industry milestone in

providing connectivity services to

3,500 ships globally.

The Quarterly OffComm News Round Up

Satellite SCADA M2M

Expansion Projections

A report from Northern Sky Research

(NSR) projects a healthy mix of satellite

SCADA/M2M opportunities over the long

term, albeit via a shifting mix of vertical

market demand.

Overall, the global satellite SCADA/M2M

market is expected to reach $2.7 billion in

2021, more than doubling the current $1.2

billion annual revenue base.

Emerging verticals to grow The budget picture for the military,

competition in the oil & gas sector and, to

some degree maturation in the

transportation and cargo market; lead to

narrowing margins that will likely result in

flat revenue growth. However, new

opportunities are on the horizon for

emerging verticals led by the deployment

of renewable energy facilities that in turn

drive growth in the utility sector. The

increase in mining activity

should likewise usher in more

robust growth over the long

term.

“Together, traditional verticals and

emerging markets yield dynamics that call

for the improvement of core, traditional

offerings in order to be competitive while,

a t the same t ime , prov id ing

experimentation and risk-taking in

targeting emerging opportunities,”

according to the study’s author Jose Del

Rosario, senior analyst for NSR.

The market is currently dominated by L

band and is likely to remain the preferred

platform over the long term. However, Ku

band has gained inroads in the

transportation and cargo market and is

used more frequently in new verticals.

See page 19 for more in our Special

Insight Report

Sneak Preview of the Wayfarer

A new satellite terminal will be joining the Norsat line early

in 2013. The Wayfarer is a fly-away satellite terminal

designed for rugged use throughout the resource sectors ~

including oil & gas. With a one button auto-acquire

technology for satellite acquisition, the Wayfarer is both

rugged and easy to use. It is operational at temperatures

ranging from -40°C to +52°C www.norsat.com

95 Cabins in New

Living Quarters

Technip and Samsung Heavy Industries

have been contracted by Total E&P Norge

for the Martin Linge development project,

located approximately 180 kilometres west

of Bergen, Norway. This contract covers the

engineering, procurement, fabrication,

transportation, hook-up and commissioning

of the topsides of a fixed production

platform. The topsides will compose of

utility, process and flare modules, as well as

a living quarter with 95 single bed cabins. www.technip.com

4G LTE for Mine Operations

Alcatel-Lucent will enhance the speed

and capacity of existing critical

communications for Rio Tinto’s West

Angelas mine in the Pilbara, Western

Australia, extending it further with 4G LTE

and fibre optic technologies. The

enhanced connectivity will support the

fast delivery of high-bandwidth data for

in-pit mining operations, including asset

monitoring and other production and

safety systems.

www.alcatel-lucent.com


Air, Sea & Land Role for Zetron

in Russian Oil Field

News

Tetra technology is enabling the coordination of

safety and operational communications in the

remote Exxon Neftegas Chayvo oil field on

Sakhalin Island.

Sakhalin Island lies to the north of the Japanese island

of Hokkaido, along the eastern coast of Russia. It is a

mountainous environment with a climate of extremes:

minus 50c degrees in the winter with up to five metres

of snow and 40c degrees with very high humidity in

the summer. Oil was discovered there in 1880.

Potential recoverable reserves, from the north of the

island where Chayvo is located, are thought to be 307

million tonnes of oil and 485 billion cubic metres of

gas.

The oil field’s production platform, onshore processing

facility and oil terminal are equipped with Zetron DCS-

5020 digital consoles, giving operators control over all

marine-band UHF, air-band VHF and MTM700 TETRA

radios, as well as landline telephony.

Zentron Model 390 remote desktop controllers are also

deployed on the oil field’s production platform to give

workers and safety staff access to the Tetra network

without the risk of localised RF energy causing an

explosion. The Zetron DCS-5020 enables operators to

manage up to 30 different radio and telephone

channels through a touch-screen display.

Wireless or Wired Rig

Intercoms?

When considering the communication and safety needs

of a land based or offshore oil rig there are plenty of

options on the market. One of the first choices to be

made is whether to go for a wireless rig intercom or a

wired rig intercom.

Eztek’s NEK 606 cables are armoured and made for use

in hazardous areas. The cabling means that the remote

stations do not need separate local power sources.

Unlike wireless rig intercoms there is no risk of the

remote station failing, compromising safety, because

there are no batteries to recharge.

Wireless rig intercoms sometimes require setup to be

carried out by specialist technicians which can add to

the cost and time to deploy. They also need additional

antenna to boost the signal as the metal structure on

oil rigs can get in the way.

While most wireless devices are hand held, both the 2

Way TalkBack and 4 Way TalkBack rig intercom systems

are hands-free, allowing rig workers to continue their

tasks safely and effectively. There is also an emergency

broadcast button for increased safety. A cabled system

decreases the need to add extra antenna to counteract

the effect of metal on wireless signals.

Image, an artists impression of the new vessel

New Vessel for 130 Crew

Ulstein has entered into a contract with Island

Offshore and its American partner, Edison Chouest

Offshore, for the delivery of a multifunctional

offshore vessel based on Ulstein’s SX121 design,

with an option for an additional vessel. There will

be accommodation for 130 crew.


Modern Day Piracy at Sea Anti-piracy options have, to date, involved increasing the armed presence on board vessels. However data suggests that pirates are undeterred by this and merely respond by upping their game as the ‘reward’ is still considerable.

With approximately

150 incidents of

maritime piracy

recorded globally in

2011, security is a

growing issue. Some

operators have

understandably turned

to armed response as a

way of combating the

problem. However, this

is not without its own

risks. Nor is it

supported by all

Governments.

Marine MTS, based in

Aberdeen UK, has

developed Sentinel™,

which tracks user

vessels remotely. As

well as helping the

user plot a safe route

through problem areas,

the software

automatically alerts

emergency or military

services should

something unusual

happen on board.

The software will, for

the first time, allow

ships to be precision

tracked from anywhere

in the world via Loc8™

technology.

Vessels using the

software can be

monitored from a land

base anywhere in the

world. This means that

ship operators and

owners will be better

able to foresee

problems that onboard

crews may not be in a

position to spot ~ or

communicate.

All buyers of the

software will be vetted

prior to having the

product supplied to

ensure that the

technology stays on

the ‘right side’ of anti

piracy efforts.

“It’s hard to believe

that current software

on the market doesn’t

track all the factors

that might put a ship

at risk, but that’s the

case,” says Wynne

Edwards, managing

director at the

company.

Combining weather

information and

detailed security data,

the software will allow

the user to plot the

optimum route to

minimise the threat of

piracy. It can monitor

other vessels in the

surrounding area,

including their real

time movements, with

resulting data able to

be viewed on land, at a

head office or an

emergency response

centre. Any deviation

in the planned course

or speed would

automatically spark an

alert to nominated

security forces.

The cost of piracy in 2011 was estimated at $7billion (£4.46b), including increased

security spend & ransom payments.

AGM Interrupted by Piracy, Fatal Hijack & Multi $Billion Fraud

The InterManager meeting got

quite a shock on 11th October

2012 in Copenhagen. when it

was faced with a fatal hijack, an

agonizing suicide, lawless Somali

pirates and a complex cyber

fraud.

Not too far from fiction, Payload is

the gripping debut book by maritime

marketing expert K D Adamson at an

InterManager associate member

company.

She unveiled the book at the

organisation’s annual general meeting

at the end of 2012. While this kind of

story wouldn’t usually meet our

editorial rules, this one peaked our

interest as the fraud detailed within it

is perpetrated via the control of the

s a t e l l i t e s o lu t i on s u sed to

communicate with vessels.

Twenty percent of

the book’s royalties

will be donated to

The Mission to

Seafarers which

provides help and

support to the 1.2

million men and

women who face

danger every day to

keep our global

economy afloat.

Founded in 1856, the Mission is

ent ire ly funded by voluntary

donations and available in 250 ports

worldwide. Martin Sandford, acting

secretary general at the organisation,

said: “This action thriller contains

some key themes that highlight the

real dangers seafarers face across the

globe including Somali piracy, harsh

conditions and having to suffer long

periods of isolation.”

www.missiontoseafarers.org

Interest


A Giant Leap for Communications That 120,000 foot skydive from the edge of space transcended human limits. Between the team at the

launch site, mission control and extreme jumper, Felix Baumgartner, was Riedel Communications. The

company provided the connectivity, integrating both wireless and wired digital intercom systems, for the

Red Bull Stratos project that captured attention the world over. Meet the man responsible for the

communications strategy in this special feature.

Thomas Riedel, Founder & CEO of Riedel Communications

How did it feel to be selected by Red

Bull for this project?

It is a great honor to be part of such an

achievement. Since we have been

working with Red Bull on a great

number of projects including the Red

Bull Air Race or the Red Bull X-Fighters,

we were approached in the very early

stages of this project.

What were the initial requirements

and did they change as the mission

progressed?

The initial requirements were not so

complex at the beginning, but evolved

during the course of the project. With

projects like this, requirements are

always in a state of flux and change.

While the main tasks stayed the same, it

was the detail on how things should or

could be handled that evolved.

What were the biggest barriers and

how did you overcome them?

There were a fair number of barriers that

were new to us. Ranging from colour

correction and white balance challenges

for the cameras, due to the change of

the atmosphere, to tracking and

telemetry tasks that were more

demanding than usual. Together with a

group of specialists in the Red Bull

Stratos team, and our own R&D, we

managed to overcome them. Cont…./

Riedel Communications furnished the fibre based

video and signal distribution as well as the wireless video links from

the capsule’s onboard cameras ~ enabling those

stunning pictures to be delivered from the Red

Bull Stratos project.

www.riedel.net

The Interview


Did you have prior experience in this

kind of high speed connectivity?

Working at such a high speed is

something that we usually don't do. But

in conjunction with the specially

developed radio kit, the operation was

not really different than other radio

applications. Plus our experience with

the Red Bull Air Race helped us

understanding the demands more

thoroughly.

What was the greatest triumph?

That's hard to tell. There are quite a

number of projects each year that feel

like a really great triumph. But sure, the

Stratos project is definitively amongst

the greatest, but also projects such as

the Olympic Games and the FIFA World

Cup share an equal amount of

dedication and triumph.

How has this project helped your

technology offering?

There is nothing that can be singled out.

The whole project was an experience

that helped us on many levels, but

nothing that will be directly developed

into new products. But of course, the

experience gathered here will be of high

value in the future.

What’s next for Riedel?

We are not just focusing on

communications. We believe that

integrating various types of signal such

as video, audio or communications into

one infrastructure is a demand that will

grow significantly. With our MediorNet

technology that provides a fibre-based

real-time infrastructure for HD video,

audio, communications and data, we are

already turning this idea into a

production reality.

Communication at

super speeds

» » »


Ground based solutions for

mission control & broadcast

The on site system involved the entire compound,

the mission control, the production offices, the

media/press centre and the OB truck. All these

facilities and positions were integrated into one

single communications infrastructure via the Riedel

Artist Digital Matrix system, fibre based

communications with broadcast quality audio.

The company also furnished the on-site digital radio

network with more than 100 radio receivers and ten

channels, which were integrated into the wired

matrix intercom system. This meant that radio users

were able to directly talk to intercom users ~ and

vice versa.

Maximum reliability was paramount

All video signals on ground were distributed and

routed with Riedel's MediorNet technology. Twenty

four nodes were installed in a redundant ring

topology to provide maximum reliability. This meant

that in case of a potential connection loss, between

two nodes, the signals would still have been

distributed.

The connection to the launch pad of the capsule

was also realised with the MediorNet system – this

time with two MediorNet Compact frames that were

connected to the main system. All links in the

MediorNet system were realised with Riedel PURE, a

fibre cable for demanding mobile applications that

is equipped with ruggedized Neutrik OpticalCON

Quad connectors.

The MediorNet backbone transported all video

signals of the Red Bull Stratos mission as well as all

signals from the OB truck and from the tracking

truck. It also distributed the broadcast audio

between mission control and the recording facility.

The data of the telemetry that was used for some

broadcast applications such as the Moving Map was

transported via MediorNet.

In the capsule

For reliable communications between Felix and

mission control, Riedel Communication

implemented an onboard video control system for

nine HD video cameras with specially developed

telemetry.

This system was responsible for the control of the

video recording and also worked as a

comprehensive digital video router inside the

capsule. It offered complete remote control of the

whole video system and featured three HD video

downlinks that were dynamically assigned to the

selected cameras.


Beating Bandwidth Bottlenecks at the Network Edge

Exploring sophisticated and cost efficient connectivity

solutions to help employees working in remote

locations, suffering severe constraints on bandwidth,

access to the same information as users on the main

corporate network.

Access to the latest information can have a critical

impact on the ability of remote users to perform their

roles and those located in areas with limited bandwidth

must be supported by tightly integrated information

systems that ensure uninterrupted, real-time access to

operational data.

Global web portals provide a single and consistent view

of data and are a common means of providing access

to corporate or mission critical data, which are often

deployed across distributed networks and enable firms

to store, search, categorise and archive critical

information assets. Chemical company Celanese for

example, deploys SharePoint as its main strategic

document management and business collaboration

platform. It is used to provide its sales people with 24/7

access to up to date content on their laptops, wherever

they are in the world.

While web portals provide a platform to put

information at an operative’s fingertips, wherever they

are located, they are typically designed to operate over

a local area network (LAN) and often struggle when

deployed over an extended wide area network (WAN).

Accessing any web based application over an extended

WAN can introduce performance degradation and

impact on the user experience of remote workers ~ and

the more remote the location, the more constrained

bandwidth resources are likely to become.

The dangers of workarounds

Remote and mobile users can quickly become frustrated

with the performance and availability of enterprise web

applications over limited bandwidth connections or

where localised issues such as latency and periodic

disconnection occur. They either stop using them

altogether, or once they have accessed information

from the central source, copy it manually to local

servers or hard drives. This results in multiple issues.

Reconcile the need for universally available and

globally consistent information

If remote users have to employ workarounds to

overcome poor performance on the WAN, the return on

investment realised via web applications is severely

diminished due to inefficiency in the way the

information is being accessed. Furthermore, any

changes or updates to information held locally are not

reflected in the central database i.e. the master

database or ‘single source of truth’.

This can have disastrous consequences given that web

applications are often used to keep their employees up

to date with ever evolving regulatory frameworks that

corporations must comply with in order to manage risk.

The maritime industry for example has to meet rigorous

safety standards, such as the International Safety Code,

which go through constant review and updates. It is of

paramount importance that key personnel on ships, at

sea for months at a time, are able to access the latest

versions of these regulations (see page 23).

Potentially, and even more serious, is that the

workarounds employed to copy confidential enterprise

data locally can threaten the security and the integrity

of the data itself. An extreme example is that of the

military, which needs to communicate highly sensitive

information to personnel out in the field, but must at all

costs prevent this data from being accessed or saved

on a device that could potentially fall into enemy hands.

Satellite networks, commonly used by organisations in

extremely remote locations such as on oil rigs or

battlefields, provide a unique opportunity for linking

globally distributed assets. But limited bandwidth, high

latency and intermittent availability make them a highly

restrictive and often costly information channel.

Cont…/

Opinion

The ability to communicate information and data over low bandwidth connections can be a game changing capability for organisations with a distributed workforce.

Lawrence Poynter,

product director

at iOra


At the same time, the sheer volume of

application data that needs to be replicated

over available networks can easily consume all

the available satellite bandwidth. And should

poor weather conditions such as heavy rainfall

bring a satellite connection down, employees

still need a way to be able to work offline

until the connection is restored.

The challenge for companies is therefore to

reconcile the need for universally available

and globally consistent information with the

fact that many users of that information

operate at the very edge of the network

where available bandwidth and network

coverage can be inconsistent at best.

Super-charging network connectivity

There are four broad options available to

organisations facing the connectivity

conundrum at the network edge.

The first is network acceleration. Most

accelerator devices can be installed in the

form of hardware appliances at each end of

the network and, as the name suggests, have

the effect of speeding up communication

between any two points on that network.

Generally speaking, these devices will store

repeated network calls issued by the

computer in an intelligent fashion and

effectively reduce the amount of data to be

sent over the network, speeding up network

traffic by a factor of between six and ten.

The second option is compression. By

reducing the quantity of data that needs to

be sent over the network, compression

techniques will reduce the amount of

bandwidth required and consequently the cost

of delivery. Various compression tools are

available that provide the mechanism for

reducing the data footprint of any updates

sent over the network so that better use can

be made of the available capacity.

Thirdly, content distribution enables firms to

proactively deploy key data closer to the end

user and thus reduce reliance on external

network connections. This allows users to

avoid calling over the connection to access

data. When the remote worker needs to

access that information, it is available in a

local store that does not require reaching

back to shore over a fragile or costly satellite

connection.

Finally, least-cost routing enables companies

to actively switch between providers of

bandwidth, and is a smart way to reduce

bandwidth costs.

In a typical scenario, communications will

switch from satellite based delivery when

operating remotely and out of range of the

network, to more cost-effective VHF (radio)

delivery when in range.

For example, server-to-server replication

technology, combined with compression,

allows update amendments to be passed

between a master and replica server over

connections as small as 1-100kbps, enabling

organisations to ensure 24/7 business

continuity. Meanwhile, server to virtual server

solutions create a virtual copy of content on

remote servers or devices and can support

lightweight read-only portals for remote

offices. Similarly, server to laptop connectivity

solutions can ensure mobile and field workers

dependent on laptop connectivity have exactly

the same experience as they would if working

at head office by creating a virtualised copy of

the master server application.

In all of these scenarios, web page links will

still work, documents can be updated and

database search and access is available

despite low bandwidth connectivity ~ even if

the user is offline. Crucially, solutions

combining web virtualisation and innovative

forms of compression technology are

extremely cost effective, which is essential

given the high cost of acquiring capacity on

specialist networks powered by satellite and

VHF, or the potential for breaches in security

and compliance should employees seek

workarounds to poor performance and

degradation in the WAN.

The most practical approach is to adopt a hybrid of all four solutions. Essential content can be automatically distributed over an accelerated network giving end users guaranteed LAN speed access to data that originated over the corporate WAN. Hybrids must also be designed according to the needs of the organisation, the network topology and the types of devices being served at the network edge.

Options

Organisations have

many connectivity

options for delivering

business and mission

critical information to

the network edge with

the type of user

experience expected

within the corporate

LAN.


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Events for quality global networking & real live innovation

18 - 21 March 2013

Satellite 2013

Conference & Exhibition

Walter E. Washington Convention Center

Washington D.C.

Contact: Kisme Williams, marketing manager

T: +1-301-354-1785

www.satellite2013.com

The SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition is led b y

professionals in the community who have their finger

on the pulse of satellite-enabled communications to

ensure you experience the most relevant topics and

receive actionable solutions. Our mission is to keep you

up-to-date on recent developments & challenges in the

satellite community. Join more than 12,000

communications professionals representing more than

75 countries from the military/government, broadcast,

enterprise, mobile, telecommunications, maritime &

commercial markets to explore next generation

products & technology from 350 exhibiting companies

& discuss tomorrow's solutions for today's challenges

with experts, thought leaders and veterans from the

field.

Diary Dates Where Technology

& Energy Connect

3 - 5 February 2013

TELSA

Four Seasons Hotel, Riyadh,

Saudi Arabia

Contact: Meesum Raza Tel: +971 4336 5161

www.telsaexpo.com

TELSA is the only dedicated B2B Telecommunications &

ICT Exhibition and Conference in Saudi Arabia. The

event will support the growth and development of the

telecoms sector in Saudi Arabia by providing a platform

for telecoms operators, regulators, services providers,

vendors and other stakeholders to engage each other.

The event will draw on an extensive network of business

leaders, telecoms professionals and government

agencies throughout Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, and

the rest of the world.

30 - 31 January 2013

4th Maritime Piracy & Security

Summit

London, UK

Contact: ACI Europe

+44 207 981 2503

[email protected]

www.wplgroup.com/aci/conferences/eu-mps4.asp

Developing Ship Operator's Overall Strategy: Join

us in London at ACI's 4th Maritime Piracy &

Security Summit to hear the options for a

shipping company operating in one of the

global HRA’s (High Risk Areas): What makes a

proper risk assessment? What are the

operational options? How can the crew be fully

prepared? What international support and operational

aid is available? How is the threat developing? Speakers

from: US Navy, IMO, IFSMA, MOL LNG European

Bureau, NATO, Willis Global, Clipper Group, Aegis

Advisory, Wallenius Marine, Olive Group, Oxberry Risk

Maritime, Ince & Co and many more.

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27 - 28 March 2013

8th Maritime Communications

& Technologies Summit

London, UK Contact: ACI Europe

+44 207 981 2503

[email protected]

www.wplgroup.com/aci/conferences/eu-mct8.asp

Join us at the annual maritime ICT summit and

increase your operational efficiency by

implementing the appropriate technologies.

Learn about the latest innovations as well as

actual case studies to find the correct course of

technological investment specific to your fleet.

Technology discussions include: Marlink, VSAT, ABS,

SEEMP, RAP, WRF & GFS systems, SafetyNET, oil filters

& monitors, X_Band radars, ERP, ECDIS, AIS, ARPA,

Immarsat, FFDS, RDID, IPTV, GSM, environmental

monitors, internet and broadband options, risk and

safety software. Speakers include: Bernard Schulte

Shipmanagement, V Group, SAMI, Stark Moore

MacMillan, InterManager, Hyproc Shipping Company,

Gottlieb International Group and Clipper Fleet

Management India.

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27 - 30 May 2013

SatCom Africa

Contact: [email protected]

SatCom Africa provides a platform where new revenue

streams can be explored, key technologies can be

evaluated, and operators and developers can gain

valuable insight into implementing successful business

models. In scope, content and experience SatCom Africa

is the only event of its kind in Africa in 2013. The two

day agenda will provide an unrivalled learning

experience, with case studies and keynote addresses

from leading operators in Africa. Content will enable

decision makers to evaluate key strategies, technologies

and the costs involved. Speakers are your clients and

potential clients discussing how they plan to integrate

satellite into the network.

8 - 10 April 2013

Broadband MEA

JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, UAE

www.mea.broadbandworldforum.com

Broadband MEA has established itself as the

leading event focusing on fixed and wireless

networks across the Middle East and Africa

region. The premier annual industry high-level

conference and exhibition will see over 1000 of

the region’s decision makers converge in Dubai

to do business and stimulate the growth of broadband

in the Middle East and Africa. The world class exhibition

will run alongside the conference and will offer a

firsthand look at cutting edge broadband technologies,

applications, solutions and services.

22 - 25 April 2013

SubOptic 2013

Marriot Rive Gauche Hotel &

Conference Centre

Paris, France

Contact:

[email protected] or

[email protected]

www.suboptic.org

SubOptic 2013 will be the eighth in a series which

started in 1986 and is the premier conference for the

undersea communications sector. It is organised by

major organisations in the industry on a non-profit

basis and is the only event organised in this way.

Previously, SubOptic 2010 in Japan attracted over 700

attendees ranging from senior executives to specialist

engineers, representing over 200 organisations from

around the globe and a 50 booth exhibition promoting

products and services from all elements of the industry.

Events for quality global networking & real live innovation

4 June 2013

EIC Connect Oil, Gas & Power

St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort,

Abu Dhabi

Registration contact: Charmaine Atkinson

www.eic-connect.co.uk/OilGasPower/

AboutTheEvent.aspx

EIC Connect Oil, Gas & Power will bring together the

world’s leading operators and EPC contractors who will

be outlining their business opportunities on Middle East

energy projects from a series of theatres in the main

exhibition hall. Their sessions will be supplemented by

one-2-one meetings where delegates will have the

opportunity to put their products and services forward

to the decision makers.

Diary Dates Where Technology

& Energy Connect

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Remote Insight

What’s next for the remote

communications sector? Experts from

some of the most established players

share their opinions.

©OffComm News ~ Winter 2012 www.OffCommNews.com 19


©OffComm News ~ Winter 2012 www.OffCommNews.com 20

Keith Johnson, President, energy

solutions at Harris CapRock, said that

the top challenges in our industry

continue to be the availability of

bandwidth, the effects of latency and

challenging licensing requirements.

“Bandwidth availability continues to be the

primary challenge as our customer’s

appetites increase. Today’s energy

customers, both onshore and offshore, are

constantly adding services and applications

that require them to increase bandwidth

usage in order to meet their needs. In

addition, public internet links are

becoming more important for crew morale

and retention.“

New technologies and business

models set to change the remote

connectivity landscape

Byte based models

James Tucker, VP, carriers and operators,

Inmarsat said that the availability of

bandwidth speeds in remote areas, which

are comparable with current DSL capacity,

is a key element. He also highlighted GSM

backhauling, via satellite, could be used as

an extension to a cellular network in

remote areas at a relatively low cost.

Commenting on the rise of Ka band, David

Harper, CEO of iSat Ltd said that, “despite

record growth in satellite communication

technologies, the uptake of Ka band has

been slower than expected, especially in

Europe. We were told of the numerous

benefits Ka band would bring, but it seems

that the market disagreed and voted with

its wallets.”

Growing demand for high speed

communications at similar prices to the

consumer offerings, is a sentiment shared

by Chris McIntosh, CEO at ViaSat UK. He

said that the requirement to pay great

sums upfront for a hotchpotch of

different equipment, coupled with paying

subscription fees, is driving up costs and

inhibiting remote exploration. Inevitably,

he said, we will see telco operators

offering communications equipment as

part of a bundled offering along with

satellite communications coverage in

order to deliver greater value.

Optimising bandwidth

Jim Lunn, VP program and technical

services, Hughes Europe, said that oil and

gas companies are not immune from

today’s intense financial pressures and so

need to make the most of the bandwidth

available to them. Most companies today

typically have a dedicated communications

link to each rig or ship. And here the

potential exists to optimise bandwidth

performance by sharing connectivity

between multiple remote sites and the

data centre.

The big issue for any exploration company

is that of bandwidth cost. Moving away

from a dedicated resource to a shared one

provides the opportunity to make much

better use of existing bandwidth. For

example, if each oil rig uses 2mbps of

connectivity five times per day, it may be

possible to share that bandwidth between

ten rigs, therefore requiring a substantially

lower investment.

Cont.../

Will the remote landscape simply become another

geographical description?

Insight Special Report As the cost of high speed satellite broadband, such as KA band, comes

down and services become available in more locations, operators will

face pressure from the industry to deliver greater value on a closer par

with fixed line prices. In this special report we look at the challenges,

the new business models & technologies and present advice to vendors

from the experts in the industry.


continued from previous page..../

For many, moving away from an

individual rig-based approach to a

business-wide, fleet communications

strategy may require a fundamental

change of mindset. However, the

potential savings in sharing in-route

communications are significant.

Providers of satellite technologies face a

constant battle to keep up with the oil

and gas industry’s insatiable appetite for

bandwidth, as the volume of data

derived from remote locations and fed

into data centres continues to grow

exponentially. The resulting challenge

for providers is to meet these increasing

capacity demands, at the same time

providing a robust service at competitive

cost. In response, while there has been a

recent transition from C band to Ku

band for most of continental Europe

(enabling more reliable bandwidth) this

has yet to be completed for ocean areas

which are still covered in the main by C

band frequencies.

In further increasing bandwidth, without

a parallel increase in price, it is likely to

be three years or more before Ka band

is commonly available for ships and oil

and gas rigs. Having said that, the

industry continues to put pressure on

providers to drive such technology

improvements as quickly as possible, as

faster voice and data speeds deliver

immediate and substantial benefits in

terms of lower cost and better

performance.

Latency still under the

microscope

“Latency is a challenge that we all face.

New technologies like satellite

constellations closer to earth and fixed

wireless solutions are helping to

combat some of these delays, but the

most effective way is to design

applications and infrastructure with

these known delays in mind.

Requirements in licensing also presents

a challenge, and they differ from

country to country,” says Keith

Johnson.

He also envisages that low latency, high

bandwidth Ka band VSAT services will

represent an interesting potential

technology in the next twelve months.

These high throughput solutions will

allow for large amounts of energy

industry data to be quickly transmitted

back to the home offices, as well as

provide an avenue for large numbers of

users to leverage more sophisticated

crew morale solutions. Clients that are

able to offer these crew services will use

them as differentiators in the market for

recruitment and retention as well as for

increased business data services.

M2M continues to surge

Demand for improved operations

efficiency and new governmental

regulations will push the adoption of

wireless M2M in the industry, says a

spokesperson from the research firm

Berg Insight.

The installed base of wireless M2M

devices in the oil and gas industry was

164,000 at the end of 2011. Growth,

calculated at an annual compound rate

of 2105 percent means that the

number is set to reach 435,000 by

2016 with 275,000 units over cellular

and 160,000 satellite based units,

according to a recent report.

Collaboratively, low frequency satellite

communications will come to the fore

as M2M plays a greater role. Low data

rate comms could connect several

remote locations and continuously

convey key information such as the

temperature of drill bits, and the flow

of pipes., providing near autonomy.

Inmarsat estimates that satellite will

capture an average of between two to

f i ve percen t of g loba l M2M

requirements, but there will be marked

geographic differences in penetration.

In emerg ing marke t s , whe re

alternatives are more limited and

building out terrestrial networks will

take substantial investment and time,

satellite M2M penetration will be

significantly higher for the foreseeable

future. In developed markets, where

terrestrial networks have greater

coverage, the percentage will be lower.

» » »

Advice for vendors targeting the super

remote market

» » »

Top five IT

trends for 2013 See page 24 » » »

Insight


Keith Johnson,

President of energy

solutions at Harris

CapRock says that

locations, such as ultra-

deepwater as well as

inland markets like oil-

sands and mining locations, continue

to create unique challenges for

customers and vendors alike. The

importance of quality communication

increases as you move into even more

remote environments.

In many cases, it is required to offer

several solutions in a single package in

order to combat any outage and to

offer fully resilient communications.

This becomes very challenging as the

remote areas are moving further north

on the globe. It is critical to keep in

mind that the telecommunications links

in these super remote markets are

providing lifeline and safety

communications, core operational

support communications, guest

services as well as crew morale and

entertainment links in areas where

there are no alternatives.

The ongoing focus on developing

solutions that will be able to adapt

throughout the lifecycle of a remote

site will be an important part of the

future. In the energy sector, primarily,

the lifecycle of a site can move from

times of a few users with high

reliability requirements (exploration

and drilling), to many users with high

data rate and reliability requirements

(drilling and completions) to fewer

users with smaller data requirements,

but high reliability (production and

pipeline).

The importance in developing an

overall solution that can serve all of the

needs of all of the

phases of the energy

sector will prove to be

vital in developing

long term

relationships with

multiple users in a

given geographic area.

“While the telco industry can now offer

portable and resilient communication,

the operators still need to work

together to fill gaps in coverage if they

are to offer a truly global option to

their customers,” says Chris McIntosh,

CEO at ViaSat UK.

Vendors entering the super remote market need to understand that forming an organisation built on networking, in its entire form, will be a key success driver.

One of the challenges,

according to Reinhold

Lueppen, director of

solutions, at Astrium

Services, is a resistance

to invest. Decision

makers are looking to reduce costs on

board, and they are less open to delve

into new projects with renewed

infrastructure at high cost.

Shipping companies need to save

money so it is essential for distributors

to be able to convince them of the

long term benefits and cost savings of

remote technologies.

With a lot of competition in this

market: “How does the consumer not

get lost? What is best for them? These

are questions that must be addressed

by the vendors in the future,”

concludes Reinhold.

Vendors contemplating upping their stake in the remote sector, or dipping a toe in the water, could benefit from the advice of established experts.

Secure your

place in the

market

Top Tips for

Vendors Keep the customer top

of mind.

Flexible payment

options can encourage

customers to buy.

Simplify the offering.

Address cyber threats.

As more instances have

arisen within the oil and

gas industry, demand is

likely to increase for

telecoms operators to

secure transmissions.

Provide cost efficient

bandwidth.

View your offering as a

collaborative network

opportunity.

Create partnerships

across the board.

Is your company listed

in our directory? Basic

entries are free. See the

website for details. Image ©A. J. Van Der Wolde

Insight


Case Study

Data Delivery to Ships at Sea

Improving speed and

reducing cost for updates and

changes to management

system documentation.

Zodiac Maritime Agencies Limited

(Zodiac) is an international ship

management company specialising in

very large ore carriers, (VLOCs)

Capesize, panamax, handymax and

handysize bulk carriers, chemical

tankers, LPG tankers, container ships

and pure car (truck) carriers.

T h e c om p a n y r e q u i r e d a

management documentation system

to connect regularly with vessels

around the world. The current

method of CD distribution being

manually delivered every few months

was proving to be costly, unreliable

and ineffective. Zodiac embarked on

a review of IT systems and

operations to enable documents to

be sent via satellite network whilst

using minimum network connection

and resources.

To keep information on board up to

date, optimise data transfer between

its onshore office & ships at sea and

minimise the data sent over satellite,

Zodiac deployed iOra’s Geo

Replicator software.

The software enables remote users

working on the edge of the

corporate network to access the

latest documentation as needed

across Zodiac’s 45 vessels with

minimal resources. “The introduction

of the technology has enabled us to

work with much improved efficiency

and has now been deployed across

the fleet to transform the way we

operate . Instead of sending

information by CD, which was a

timely and costly process, we can

now send data electronically but

using minimal network time. We are

now looking at installing this

technology into other areas of the

Zodiac business,” said

I an Shech ter I T

manager at Zodiac.

www.OffCommNews.com

Who’s Who in Remote Communications?

Special Insight

Opportune

News & Features

Research


BYOD Companies will be trying to integrate

BYOD with their networks over 2013.

While tactical needs will drive

integration, strategic requirements

will become increasingly important.

Alongside this, and dependent on

the penetration of Windows 8, we

can expect to see the growth of

Windows to Go secure USB sticks,

which provide remote users with the

supported version of the corporate

desktop. These are available from a

limited number of suppliers

authorised by Microsoft and include

Imation’s IronKey Workspace for

Windows to Go.

Mobile Device Management With employees using devices for

both business and personal use, the

security and management issues

became blurred. Mobile Device

Management solutions (MDM) will

accelerate in 2013.

Growth will be strongest for MDM

solutions that offer features such as

ensuring mobile device usage

complies with company security

policies, allocating access rights,

managing configuration, updating

policies, dealing with data leakage

issues, and dealing with lost or

stolen devices.

MDM also needs to address the

problem of managing both employer

-owned and employee-owned

devices. A crucial component for

continued growth will be the clear

separation between the

management of business and

personal data on devices. There are

over 100 suppliers in mobile device

management. Many of them are

good ~ but niche ~ solutions.

High Density Wireless Wireless requirements have been

significantly incrementing over the

last year and this trend will continue

in 2013. BYOD has changed both the

data transfer and performance

expectations of users. However,

these expectations have not been

met, with many networks still

inadequate in their coverage and

performance. The new 802.11ac

standard, with 1 gigabit per second

throughput rates, will be a key driver

in organisations moving to high

density wireless in 2013.

High density wireless will provide

companies with high coverage and

high performance, supporting

business critical applications and

delivering complete site coverage.

As legacy wireless implementations

buckle under the strain of demand,

organisations are moving from

tactical deployment of wireless to

strategic implementations. There will

continue to be a shift, from niche

solutions, towards a more strategic

approach. Gartner’s Magic Quadrant

identified companies addressing

strategic and tactical needs, such as

Xirrus, which has been experiencing

and will continue to experience

stratospheric growth.

Data Backup and Recovery While large organisations have

always been at the forefront of back-

up and recovery, data centres and

big data have experienced significant

demands. Smaller organisations have

also been under immense pressures

from increasing data volumes,

archiving and compliance

requirements.

At the top end, new data replication

technologies will have a major

impact for data centres in 2013. In

volume terms, the lowest move (but

in market-hype the biggest) will be

significant growth in direct back-up

to the cloud. RDX, hybrid and cloud

data back-up solutions are available

from vendors such as Imation and

Barracuda Networks.

Data Leakage Protection With growing volumes of data and

with regulatory bodies increasingly

prepared to levy fines for various

non-compliance issues, data leakage

protection will continue to be a

major cause for concern during

2013. Companies will be looking

closely at how to secure and

manage their data as their network

boundaries spread even wider, with

increased use of social networking

and BYOD, increased remote access,

the rapid growth of wireless,

increased virtualisation and the

move towards convergence.

Increasingly, organisations will

couple DLP products with SIEM

(Security Information and Event

Management) solutions. DLP

concerns will also continue the

growth curve for authentication

(much of it hosted in the cloud) and

encryption, to protect data, both in

motion and at rest. Some companies

will look to hosted security services

and the cloud to cope with an

increasingly complex security

situation. SIEM and authentication

solutions are available from

companies such as LogLogic, Check

Point VASCO and SafeNet.

Rapid growth of wireless, increased virtualisation & the move towards convergence

Move away from a niche approach: Trend

shifts to monitor over the next 12 months Predicted by

Ian Kilpatrick,

chairman of

Wick Hill Group


The f ind ings cha l l enge some

preconceived ideas and attitudes

regarding BRICS** and other developing

regions. They also draw attention to the

huge opportunities when it comes to

safeguarding the growth of the oil and

gas industry, as fluctuations in energy

prices continue and the demand for

energy increases globally, writes Alexandre Pelletier,

business development director, global enterprise

solutions, Tata Communications.

The role of developing economies in

global economic growth

While a sluggish European economy struggles to recover,

other regions are proving more resilient. This is putting

companies in developed countries under immense

pressure to move beyond their comfort zone and find

alternatives outside of their home markets. It comes as

no surprise that over half of the oil and gas companies

surveyed in the report anticipate huge growth

opportunities in emerging economies. Nearly half (45

percent) of oil and gas organisations are already

operating in these markets, with 35 percent expected to

increase their investment by 20-40 percent in 2013.

Asia seems to be leading the way

According to the recent Oil and Gas Investment

Perspectives for Asia report by Ernst & Young, Asia

accounted for more than half of the world’s increase in

oil demand in the last 10 years, and the region is

expected to account for more than 80 percent of the

world’s net oil demand growth over the next 25 years.

The role that Asia will play in the growth of the global

oil and gas industry will continue to grow, which is

reflected in the views of the Connected World survey

respondents too, whereby 40 percent of senior decision

makers from the oil and gas sector are looking into

expanding into China and 27 percent are considering a

move into India. Cont.../

© C

an S

tock

Photo

Inc. /

3000ad

*Survey of 1,600 business leaders globally, including decision makers in the oil and gas sector. **Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa

Tapping into the Potential

of Emerging Markets

Oil & gas sector companies have been used to making do with a lack of telecommunication

infrastructure, difficulty in hiring expertise locally and complex regulatory constraints. A study by Tata

Communications has highlighted the growing influence of developing economies on the sector. The

Connected World report* explored key barriers for investment in emerging markets and attitudes of

senior decision makers towards the opportunities offered therein.


Continued from previous page...

With China and India expected to account for 75 percent

of the world’s net oil demand growth by 2035, the

report found that oil and gas companies look to these

markets not only for current economic growth (54

percent) but also future economic growth prospects (77

percent). However, recognising the importance of not

putting all your eggs in one basket, 36 percent of

respondents are also looking into the opportunities

offered on the other side of the globe by Brazil. As

expansion into developing markets becomes an

indication of the global economic shift, some companies

are already making the most of growth opportunities

offered by these regions.

At the launch of the BP Energy Outlook 2030 earlier this

year, Bob Dudley, the CEO of BP Group, highlighted that

global demand for energy will grow by around 40

percent over the next two decades, with the emerging

markets at the forefront of this growth. In light of this,

the company has realigned its strategy accordingly, with

operations ramped up in the fastest growing countries,

including Brazil and India.

It’s likely that other companies in the oil and gas space

will soon follow BP’s example. In fact almost a third of oil

and gas companies are looking at expanding into these

markets to follow the path of their competitors.

Another key driver for investment was, perhaps

unsurprisingly, the need to mitigate the impact of the

uncertain global economic climate at home.

Despite the growth and expansion opportunities,

operating in new markets can prove challenging because

of physical factors such as the lack of a robust

technology infrastructure and social factors including

differences in governance and political uncertainty.

Unlike Connected World respondents from other

industries ~ including professional services, IT and

telecoms and retail ~ which were attracted to assets

such as technological innovation and local talent in

developing markets, oil and gas sector respondents

associated these regions with a lack of local skills (45

percent). The fact is that the bulk of oil and gas natural

resources are located in these economies and therefore

the sector’s companies have been used to making do

with a lack of telecommunication infrastructure, difficulty

to hire expertise locally, and complex regulatory

constraints.

However, it doesn’t have to be the case of ‘making do’.

Finding technology partners that can help them lower

these barriers is essential to increasing productivity while

reducing risk.

Cont.../

Bob Dudley, the CEO of BP Group, highlighted that global demand for energy will grow by around 40 percent over the next two decades, with the emerging markets at the forefront of this growth.

Tapping into the Potential of Emerging Markets


Continued from previous page...

Regardless of the new market you’re looking to,

it’s crucial that decision makers fully appreciate

the challenges unique to each market to

maximise ROI.

Over half of decision makers from those oil and gas

organisations that have already taken the plunge and

are operating in emerging markets reported that

government regulation in the new economy had proved

the biggest challenge, which demonstrates the

importance of thorough homework ahead of making an

investment.

Another considerable deterrent for investment was the

lack of a reliable communications backbone, as 34

percent of oil and gas respondents said that the lack of

this business critical infrastructure would actually

prevent them from entering a new market altogether.

The role of a communications infrastructure was also

highlighted by respondents as amongst the most crucial

factors associated with running a truly global business.

Almost half of oil and gas respondents cited reliable

communications across all territories (48 percent) and

cost effective communications amongst these territories

(47 percent) as two key factors for success, topped only

by a flexible business strategy (56 percent).

The importance of having reliable, high speed internet

connectivity and the latest communications

technologies reflects the increasingly connected society

we live in and our expectation to be able to work

effectively wherever, whenever and however we want.

That’s why businesses need to ensure that their

organisation is truly global when they move into a new

region, regardless of their location, working effectively

together.

Recognising that a communication infrastructure plays a

key role in businesses looking to create a global

presence, the telecommunications industry has invested

heavily in bringing the digital infrastructure of

developing markets onto a level playing field with

mature markets. With the foundations of a reliable

communications infrastructure gradually taking shape

worldwide, more and more players in the oil and gas

industry can be increasingly confident about future

investments in new markets.

Sources: Ernst & Young, Oil and Gas Investment Perspectives for Asia, 23 Jul 2012: Chevron, Energy Supply and Demand, April 2012: BP, Energy Outlook 2030 Review, January 2012

Improving IT Efficiencies &

Security with Remote Access

IT departments have had a shared directive for

years: do more with less. As such, administrators

are constantly challenged with improving

efficiencies that both support an organisation’s

needs and reduce costs.

Traditional costs associated with

maintaining IT environments, including:

people, hardware, power, facilities and

maintenance; are relatively easy to

identify, track and account for, says Peter

Holmelin, director of development at

Netop. How staff manage an IT

environment, however, is not always as

apparent, and can add significant cost to

any organisation.

Just having a team travel to a different location to

maintain equipment, can quickly add labour costs and

delay an admin from focusing on other projects.

Through a mature technology, a fully capable

remote access solution can dramatically

improve efficiencies while helping companies

maintain compliance and protect data.

Tightening the Belt

For the last ten years, IT administrators have

been implementing technologies that increase the

efficiency of their infrastructures, including information

lifecycle management, thin provisioning, virtualisation

and disk-to-disk backup, to name a few. These

technologies have proven to reduce costs over the long

term and provide real benefits to organisations.

For many enterprises, especially those with dispersed

network environments, remote access is a technology

that can be equally impactful.

Security & Compliance

Although remote access offers many benefits, there’s an

inherent risk that can exist in the technology. In fact,

remote access services account for 88 percent of all

breaches leveraging hacking techniques, according to a

recent Verizon business report.* The right remote access

solution, integrated and used correctly, will offer

organisations multi-factor authentication, client-defined

access rights and session logging so they can avoid

unnecessary risk and ensure security and compliance.

* Source: http://www.verizonbusiness.com/resources/reports/rp_data-breach-investigations-report-2012_en_xg.pdf

Remote access services

account for 88 percent of all breaches

Opinion

Peter Holmelin director of

development at Netop

http://www.verizonbusiness.com/resources/reports/rp_data-breach-investigations-report-2012_en_xg.pdf

http://www.verizonbusiness.com/resources/reports/rp_data-breach-investigations-report-2012_en_xg.pdf


The 2013 Remote Communications Directory A resource of suppliers of technology

and telecommunications destined for

remote & harsh environments

Encryption

Crew Welfare

Internet

Security

Rigs

Mines Oil & Gas

Comms Deserts

M2M

VSAT

BYOD Satellite

Offshore Networks

Accommodation Barges

Connectivity

Supply & Support Vessels

Hybrid Networks

Broadband

Maritime

Super Remote

Infotainment


The Remote Communications Directory 2013

AND www.and-group.net

Applied Satellite Technology www.satcomms.com

Astrium Services www.vizada.com

Balkan Telecom www.balkantelekom.net

Cable & Wireless www.cw.com

Comtech EF Data www.comtechefdata.com

DSD Telecom www.dsdtelecom.com

Elektrikom www.vsat.com

Emerging Market Communications www.emc-corp.net

European Satellite Link www.eurosatlink.com

EX4U Telecom www.ex4u.org

Gilat Satellite Networks www.gilat.com

Globecomm Systems Inc. www.globecommsystems.com

Globewireless www.globewireless.com

h2osatellite www.h2osatellite.co.uk

Harris Caprock www.harriscaprock.com

Hellenic Radio Services www.hrs05.gr

High Capabilities Telcom www.hicap-telecom.com

IEC Telecom www.iec-telecom.com

Imtech www.imtech.eu

Inmarsat www.inmarsat.com

ITC Global www.itcglobal.net

KVH Industries www.kvh.com

Lunasat www.marine-technologies.com

Maritime Broadband www.maritimebroadband.com

Marlink www.marlink.com

MTN www.mtnsat.com

Navarino www.navarino.gr

NSSL Global www.nsslglobal.com

OceanSat www.oceansat.com

OmniAccess www.omniaccess.com

Orange Business Services www.orange-business.com

Orbit Communications Systems www.orbit-cs.com

OTESAT Maritel www.otesat-maritel.com

Radio Holland www.radiohollandgroup.com

Safa Telecom www.safa-telecom.com/

Satco Communications www.satco.no

Satcom Global www.satcomglobal.com

Satmarin www.satmarin.com

Selex Elsag www.selexelsag.com

Signalhorn www.signalhorn.com

Singapore Telecom www.info.singtel.com

Sky Stream FZ LLC www.sky-stream.com

Speedcast www.speedcast.com

Telemar www.telemargroup.com

Telenor Satellite Services www.telenor.no

Xsat Global www.xsatglobal.com

If you would like your company included in our next directory email the publisher’s marketing department [email protected] with ‘Directory14’ in the subject header. Basic listings are free.

www.astriumservices.com

Contact email: [email protected]

Tel: +33 5 61 28 89 99 Fax: +33 5 61 28 89 98

Nature: Mobile and fixed satellite communications

solutions for maritime, land and aero verticals.

Regions: Global

Astrium Services is the number one innovative leader in

satellite business. Astrium Services is responsible for

comprehensive fixed and mobile end-to-end solutions

covering secure and commercial satcoms and networks,

high security and broadcast satellite communications

equipment and systems, and bespoke geo-information

services, worldwide. These services are packaged with

value added solutions designed to enhance satellite

connectivity, and delivered through Astrium’s global

teleport network, including many state of the art

satellite facilities strategically positioned around the

world.

www.orange-business.com

Contact: Michel Verbist

Email: [email protected]

Nature: IT solutions

Regions: Global

Orange Business Services has the broadest experience

in IP transformation of any service provider, serving the

world’s largest companies for nearly 60 years and

pioneering advances in IP based networks. Our

maritime satellite service provides real-time, broadband

services to shipping fleets that sail the seven oceans.

Vessels can be integrated with your corporate network,

enabling the same access and communication

capabilities as land-based offices.

http://www.orange-business.com/

spring 2013

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