Flash – Ask The Expert

Effective communications are paramount for oil and gas workers, especially when energy company's operations span the globe in the pursuit of hydrocarbons. Annamaria Raviola, SVP of Marketing and Business Development for SELEX Communications, offers an insight into this business-critical solutions available.

Oil and gas operators require fully integrated information and communications solutions that are both reliable and robust, and that can operate in extreme and hazardous environments and during emergencies. At SELEX Communications we leverage on our know-how, experience and product-portfolio to supply the oil and gas industry with turnkey communication solutions that integrate a number of communication technologies including TETRA, DMR, and next generation wireless broadband radio to realise multi-technology network solutions. Our solutions address both the 'traditional' operational requirement for instant and crystal-clear voice communications and the need for a communication solution that is integrated with a company's control and monitoring systems.

PERSEUS is SELEX Communications' complete, interoperable, modular and scalable communication solution. PERSEUS is comprised of a number of communication technologies, each one of which was developed as a response to the needs of professional users. PERSEUS' backbone is comprised of a wide array of information and communication solutions (Fibre optics, radio links, WiMAX, and satellite). PERSEUS' backbone can be easily integrated with existing civil and private systems to ensure interconnection and interoperability.

The right message

TETRA (acronym for Terrestrial Trunked Radio) is the communication standard of choice for those organisations or groups that need immediate, reliable and secure communications. The standard was developed by the European Telecommunication Standardisation Institute (ETSI) and is a European response to the communications demands of organisations that need immediate, reliable, and secure mobile communications such as public safety agencies, emergency services, government, transportation companies, utility companies and the military.  

TETRA is several times more efficient than traditional analogue and digital radio systems because it maximises network capacity by efficiently re-utilising shared radio resources, optimally distributes available radio resources according to demand, allows multiple user channels to be carried on a single radio bearer, making efficient use of the frequency spectrum, allows for the efficient transmission of images and video at speeds up to 400 percent faster than in analogue or digital proprietary systems, and offers advanced Virtual Private Network (VPN) capabilities.  

TETRA also allows for group and broadcast communications where a user (or the dispatcher) can communicate not only with another user, but with a group of users. In a GSM network group communications are not implemented; only conference calls are possible but with complex usage procedures and with performances not satisfying the emergency organisations and police forces needs. The need for terminals that are safe to operate in potentially explosive environments is one that is intrinsic to the industry. SELEX Communications' PUMA-T3Ex handheld terminal has been designed to be 'intrinsically safe' according to ATEX standards for operations in potentially explosive environments.  

PUMA-T3Ex, as part of Puma-T3 family, can also operate as a conventional FM radio and allows users unique-in-the-market feature to communicate with both analogue and TETRA equipment. Engineered for professional users, PUMA-T3Ex is extremely sturdy, has a large keyboard that is easy to use even when wearing gloves, and is visible in critical light conditions. Thanks to its large loudspeaker and potent amplifier, Puma-T3Ex allows for communications even in particularly noisy environments, while its well-placed separate small speaker allow it to be used as a regular cell phone.

New ideas

A recent development of particular importance to the oil and gas sector is represented by SCADA applications for the remote monitoring and management of equipment. SELEX Communications offers solutions engineered to allow for the connectivity of external devices to related peers for monitoring and control applications. Designed for fixed installation, they connect to SCADA sensors and collect data from the field, and remotely manage and control equipment and video surveillance systems for multiple geographical voice and data networks. WiNN - SCADA is SELEX Communications' solution. Main features include the ability to controls external devices  (e.g. sensors and actuators), to interface with WiMAX, Wi-Fi, GPRS and Bluetooth, to route IP data between local WLAN/Bluetooth and geographical networks, to manage local digital video cameras, and remote configuration and software downloading via web or SNMP.

With a Degree in Mathematics from the University of Genoa, Annamaria Raviola is the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for SELEX Communications, a Finmeccanica Company. SELEX Communications is a global supplier of advanced communication, navigation and identification solutions to protect communities and critical national infrastructure. The Company represents the convergence of all of Finmeccanica's manufacturing activities in the telecommunication sector and delivers advanced, secure, integrated and interoperable networked solutions for government, military and civil applications.