O3b Networks and Harris CapRock Communications announced plans to develop a strategic marketing alliance focused on ultra high-speed, low latency exploration and production communications capabilities. As part of the initiative, Harris CapRock plans to add O3b Network’s O3bEnergy solution to its portfolio for customers in the energy market. O3bEnergy is a satellite-delivered solution that will empower oil and gas companies with latencies under 150 milliseconds, unlimited, affordable bandwidth, and unrivalled operational savings.
O3bEnergy will deliver speedy data transfers, up to 2 Terabytes per day, fully capable of significantly reducing time to production by enabling real-time seismic surveys of oil reserves beneath the ocean floor. O3bEnergy will provide fiber-like connectivity to oil and gas platforms and search vessels without the major upfront CAPEX investments, outage concerns, lack of mobility and lengthy ramp up times of fiber. Oil and gas companies and systems integrators will be able to easily integrate the high capacity, low latency satellite offering to get far more from their existing enterprise systems and operational budgets.
The alliance extends an innovative partnership between Harris CapRock and O3b Networks to dramatically improve the Internet experience aboard the largest cruise ship in the world, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd’s Oasis of the Seas. The maritime service leverages O3b’s unique Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite fleet and Harris CapRock’s extensive integration expertise.
“Harris CapRock customers require unmatched voice, video and data capabilities in some of the harshest, most isolated and challenging conditions, and the low latency advantages of O3bEnergy represent an exciting new capability for some applications in the oil field, including seismic vessels,” said David Myers, Global Commercial Officer for Harris CapRock. “Adding the O3b Networks solution to our portfolio will enhance customer operations through better efficiencies and connectivity.”
“O3bEnergy will forever change the way most energy companies operate by eliminating offshore communications limitations and enabling centralized IT operations,” said John Finney, Chief Commercial Officer for O3b Networks. “More bandwidth at latencies under 150 milliseconds will unleash a faster and more responsive network capable of running mission-critical business communications systems and applications across a global enterprise,” he noted. “The planned alliance between Harris CapRock and O3b represents an important, new era in oil and gas communications.”
Initiating service in 3rd Quarter of 2013, O3bEnergy will enable oil and gas companies and systems integrators to provide fiber-like connectivity to oil and gas rigs and seismic survey ships throughout the Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Angola, Asia and other key markets around the world.