Tampnet awarded five-year communications contract for Island Drilling rig

Island Drilling has asked Tampnet to provide a communications package for the harsh-environment semi-submersible Island Innovator.

The five-year contract includes delivery of a low-earth orbit satellite back-haul from Starlink and One Web, integrated with the Tampnet North Sea LTE and T-FAST (Multiple Carrier, Low Footprint, High Speed Antenna) microwave/fiber service.

Tampnet will also supply an AI service to automatically route each packet over the optimal path, the company said in a press release on Aug. 21.

“The Island Innovator operates in some of the world's toughest conditions. Tampnet's multi-layer network and private 5G capability will let our crews work smarter and safer while enabling our rig for the digital future."

—Island Drilling CEO Roger Simmens

The deployment should be fully operational before the rig begins its next program in the North Sea during the fourth quarter.