The Importance of Reliable Communication Equipment in Oil and Gas Industries

Oil and gas communication is notoriously difficult, mainly since many oil drilling sites are in remote areas with unique communications challenges. Although maintaining communication systems for oil and gas used to be tricky, advanced satellite technology has made an enormous difference.

Today we’ll go over how blending satellite internet with cellular data provides faster, more reliable internet connections with greater coverage, even in isolated locations.

Increased Productivity

The need for efficiency has often driven improvements in oil and gas communication. However, the unique challenges of oil and gas communication often result in more costs for individual businesses and the industry as a whole.

For example, oil drilling involves both offshore and onshore employees. Although drilling happens offshore, the decision-makers are usually onshore. That means these two groups needed to figure out how to exchange information remotely.

Many years ago, oil workers used two-way radio, but modern communications technology like satellites, fiber optics, and cellular networks have further streamlined mission-critical communications.

With effective, reliable communications in place, offshore workers can easily share oil drilling data with an onshore team. Recent advances in technology have enabled management to oversee drilling operations remotely in real-time, so they can make faster, data-driven decisions. In addition, reducing slow or inefficient communication helps employees perform better and understand management’s goals, which increases productivity across the board.

Enhanced Worker Safety

Anyone who works in oil and gas knows that safety is a top priority for offshore operations that typically involve hazardous equipment. Therefore, effective oil and gas communication equipment is crucial for increasing safety and operational efficiency from the oil rig to offshore platforms.

An effective communication system provides more than just data transfers between offshore and onshore operations. Communication channels can help offshore oil rig operators stay alert to hazards when it comes to personnel safety. For example, if a worker discovers a leak or some malfunctioning equipment, they can quickly inform their teammates and onshore management, keeping everyone apprised.

Improved Teamwork

The oil and gas industry is often faced with maintaining safe, reliable operations with fewer resources, made more challenging by harsh environments and extreme operating conditions. Employees and management must work together as a unified team to overcome these issues.

Reliable communication technology can help bring teams together to perform cohesively. For example, imagine that offshore workers discover an operational inefficiency that affects production on an oil rig. If no one informs management of the problem, they cannot adjust production expectations accordingly, resulting in a backlog of unfulfilled orders. Furthermore, the operational issue remains unresolved, slowing down production even more.

However, advanced telecommunications like satellite internet and cellular data can keep entire companies connected to the internet 24/7. As a result, offshore and onshore teams can collaborate more efficiently for oil and gas communication, leading to faster problem resolution and improved productivity overall.

Types of Oil and Gas Communication Equipment

Overseeing oil and gas communication includes ensuring that the communication equipment for oil and gas works supports a safe, productive work environment. Although radio communications like walkie-talkies have become a popular communications tool in oil and gas operations, both functionality and collaboration are limited. Furthermore, any connectivity issues between these devices result in total loss of contact.

However, newer telecommunications solutions such as mobile satellite internet and cellular data provide reliable connectivity with the ability to scale up as your team grows. The following are three oil and gas communication equipment types that can improve connectivity while enabling more collaboration across your team.

Satellite Communications

Satellite internet is known for its reputation for reliability and near-global coverage. Because satellite communications send and receive data through Earth-orbiting satellites, users do not need to be in range of a cell tower to connect to the internet. Once the data from a device is transmitted to an orbiting satellite, a signal is sent to the closest land-based station, which will complete the transmission.

Because satellite internet does not require cell towers, it is not limited to certain geographical areas. However, improved reliability and coverage often come at the cost of latency, which is higher because the devices and satellites communicate across great distances.

Pros:

Best coverage
Available for satellite phones, cell phones, tablets, laptops, and computers
Faster recovery for business continuity

Cons:

More expensive
Higher latency
Vulnerable to bad weather

Cellular Data

If you’ve ever used a smartphone, you’ve used cellular data. Cellular communications use electromagnetic waves to transmit and receive both sound and data. A phone antenna emits these waves constantly, which are received by the nearest land-based cell tower.

If you move too far away from a cell tower, your signal weakens and eventually drops. That’s why users rarely have service in remote areas with less cellular data coverage.

Cell phone boosters are popular communication equipment for oil and gas companies that rely on cellular data. Sometimes known as a signal booster or extender, a cell phone booster takes in the weak signal, increases it, then rebroadcasts the “boosted” signal to reach a nearby cellular network.

Without this technology, cell phone users in remote locations will eventually drain their phone batteries trying to connect to the internet, posing a safety issue.

Pros:

Lower latency
5G connectivity
Less expensive

Cons:

Slower speeds
Limited coverage depending on cell towers
Potential disruption to service

FUSION

While satellite internet and cellular data are two of the most popular options for enterprise-level internet connectivity, businesses no longer have to pick and choose. Instead, blending cellular data with satellite internet is an excellent option for organizations that need reliable connectivity, especially in remote areas.

IP Access International’s FUSION combines traditional wired connections like broadband internet and fiber optics with wireless IP connections like 3G/4G/5G, WiFi and satellite internet. FUSION is an ideal solution for oil and gas communication, where offshore workers in remote locations must communicate with onshore management and other decision-makers worldwide reliably.

Choose IP Access for Critical Communication Equipment

As more industries shift to digital-first operations, internet connectivity has become a critical component of any business’s success. A reliable internet connection can streamline team communications, improve operational efficiency, and ensure safe working conditions for all employees in oil and gas communication.

At IP Access International, we developed our cutting-edge FUSION technology to help businesses seamlessly access multiple internet connections as the presence and quality of available networks fluctuate. Rather than monitoring and switching carriers to stay connected, companies can use FUSION to source alternative carriers or access satellite networks to remain online.