Maritime News Oil & Gas Operators Satellite

RigNet expects to extend business in Apac region through iDirect network

Expansion hoped to enable company to tap new market segments from onshore energy to maritime

VT iDirect Inc, a company of VT Systems Inc, has announced that RigNet Inc, a leading global provider of managed remote communications solutions to the oil and gas industry, has installed an iDirect Series 15100 Universal Satellite Hub in Adelaide, Australia. This is to extend its services to Australia and the Asia Pacific region. The business expansion will enable RigNet to tap into growing market segments, including onshore natural gas and oil exploration, energy, mining and maritime.

The hub addition enables RigNet to expand its global presence and offer a managed service for land-based drilling applications and remote connectivity in the greater Asia Pacific region. The investment follows RigNet’s installation of a hub in the Middle East to extend RigNet’s VSat coverage in the region and enhance the company’s satellite service portfolio for customers in the oil and gas sector.

The network will be built on iDirect’s Evolution iDX 3.1 software, which enables service providers to support both narrowband SCADA and broadband applications on the same network and scale to tens of thousands of sites. iDX 3.1 features the X1 remote, a low power, compact remote that reduces the average power required for a given satellite terminal by as much as 50%. An outdoor version of the X1 features the IP67 weatherproof casing, an extended temperature range, passive cooling and multiple power options.

“Our onshore customers have very distinct and demanding network requirements. They’re running a mix of narrowband and broadband applications that extend across indoor and outdoor environments. iDX 3.1 provides us with the exact capabilities we need for these customers. And with iDirect, we can expand into new markets and geographies while managing our global portfolio over a single platform, which improves our flexibility and productivity,” says Rob George, General Manager, Apac, RigNet.

“It’s exciting to see our partners capitalise on growth opportunities and reach new levels of service performance through our operating software capabilities. RigNet is making a strategic move into a fast growing market, and we are honoured that they chose to expand over the iDirect Platform,” says Rob Kilroy, Vice-President, Americas, iDirect.