O3b Networks and Hermes Datacomms are changing the face of Energy communications in Africa
Companies partnering to deliver next generation satellite services to oil and gas majors
St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands – Shrewsbury, United Kingdom – O3b Networks and Hermes Datacomms today announced that they are teaming up to deliver advanced communications services to a major energy customer in Angola. O3b and Hermes, leveraging O3b’s state of the art satellite network, will provide ultra low latency services to deployed bases and camps in Angola before extending network reach offshore. The end-to-end service will seamlessly connect the customers’ sites in Africa with corporate and operational centres in Europe through O3b’s integrated gateway and backhaul network.
Low latency connections are a critical enabler for energy clients, allowing numerous delay and performance sensitive applications such as ERP (Citrix, Oracle, SAP) and real time monitoring and control to operate flawlessly over the O3b network just as they would over a fiber.
Barry Bouwmeester, Account Manager says, “We are delighted to be among the first to deliver O3b services to our Energy customers in Africa. Oil and gas operators increasingly tell us that they need higher throughput combined with low latency to cope with the significant amounts of data that is being generated within their operational networks. Advanced communications services are number one on their list of priorities. O3b offers the solution and will improve the efficiency of our customers’ operations by enabling applications that are so critical to their success.”
John Finney, Chief Commercial Officer for O3b said, “O3b and Hermes Datacomms can deliver powerful new capabilities to the energy industry enabling sophisticated cloud based applications and streaming HD video to remote and offshore areas that until now, could only have minimal connectivity or had to replicate IT infrastructure onsite.”
O3b will launch 4 more satellites in December 2014 to add to the 8 that are already in orbit serving customers in Africa, the Middle East, the Pacific and Latin America.
About O3b Networks Limited
O3b Networks Limited is a global satellite service provider building a next-generation satellite network for telecommunications operators, Internet service providers, enterprise and government customers in emerging markets. The O3b system combines the global reach of satellite with the speed of a fiber-optic network providing billions of consumers and businesses in nearly 180 countries with low-cost, high-speed, low latency Internet and mobile connectivity. O3b Networks’ investors include SES, Google, Liberty Global, HSBC Principal Investments, Northbridge Venture Partners, Allen & Company, Development Bank of Southern Africa, Sofina, Satya Capital and Luxempart. O3b Networks is headquartered in St. Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands.
About Hermes Datacomms Ltd
· Hermes Datacommunications Ltd specializes in providing Wide Area Communications to the upstream oil and gas industry worldwide.
· With over 20 years of experience, service in 54 countries, representing 92% of the world’s oil and gas reserves and an extensive portfolio of prestigious customers, Hermes has proven itself as a leader in the telecommunications industry.
· Hermes Datacomms provides satellite and fibre links to some of the most remote and challenging locations, both onshore and offshore.
· Solutions are tailored specifically to the oil and gas industry and include international connections, managed networks and oilfield infrastructure.
· For more information, call +44 1743 235 555 or visit www.hermes.uk.com
