FEATURE
TAMPNET CONTINUES TO GROW ITS PRESENCE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO BY TRYGVE HAGEVIK
O
ver 95% of international voice and data communication takes place via submarine fiber networks, connecting people, systems, and devices around the globe. Despite this, the common misconception is that this communication takes place via satellite. Since the first transatlantic submarine cable was deployed in 1866, many technological advancements have changed the way we communicate. After the first transatlantic fiber-optic cable was laid in 1988, linking the US to the UK and France, their usage had quickly amplified. As devices grow more sophisticated, the demand for high-speed, low-latency communications has arisen, especially in offshore regions that have traditionally relied on satellite using Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) networks. VSAT networks utilized offshore represented low bandwidth and high latency communications capabilities that require a better alternative to improve performance. With the inefficiencies in satellite communications, offshore facilities realized the need for 4G/LTE connectivity. With its Americas headquarters in Houston, Texas, Tampnet Inc. has been working on extending 4G/LTE coverage throughout the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and the North Sea for the past four years. Since the initiative began, Tampnet’s cov-
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SUBMARINE TELECOMS MAGAZINE
erage in the GoM has expanded to about 80,000 square miles, providing essential, reliable, and high-speed data through a network of submarine fiber optic cables and microwave links. The combination of these two technologies is unique to Tampnet, allowing the company to deliver connectivity to a variety of devices, including personal devices and smartphones. The company’s expansion into the GoM is a continuation of its commitment to deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity to customers in the Gulf. Connectivity is a necessary ingredient for companies to implement digitization strategies and improve technologies and communication with onshore facilities.
BUILDING A NETWORK
As Tampnet continues to extend the network infrastructure in the GoM, the network is becoming equal to that of the one they operate in the North Sea, which follows the same service model. In 2020, Tampnet purchased 1,200 KM of subsea fiber from BP, replicating the North Sea presence with the services they’ve developed for the GoM. With this acquisition, Tampnet was able to take complete ownership over the fiber cable network to de-risk the business by securing long-term access to the only fiber network
