CapRock to Provide VSAT Communications for Diamond Offshore’s Gulf of Mexico Fleet

CapRock Communications, a global provider of satellite communications to remote environments, today announced a multi-year contract extension to provide CapRock’s leading, always-on VSAT communications to Diamond Offshore’s fleet located in the Gulf of Mexico.

As an industry leader with one of the largest offshore drilling fleets in the world, Diamond Offshore requires reliable communications with the flexibility to serve a variety of needs throughout its operations.

“CapRock continues to demonstrate technical expertise and dedication to delivering quality communication services,” said Mike Trahan, Diamond Offshore CIO. “We continue to depend on CapRock as a communications partner because they’re committed to supporting Diamond Offshore’s growing operations and we know that CapRock is always ready to respond with the right solution.”

CapRock will continue to provide Diamond Offshore with a fully-managed communications solution – complete with equipment, installation and 24/7 support – so that Diamond Offshore personnel can focus on their core business and not be burdened with managing the many components of a dependable communications service. Under the agreement, the Gulf of Mexico fleet – consisting of three semisubmersibles and four jackup drilling rigs – will continue to receive CapRock’s always-on Voice over IP (VoIP), Internet access, connectivity to its corporate network, as well as new increased bandwidth to further support growing crew amenities and demands. In addition, CapRock also will deploy communications services to a Diamond Offshore office in Angola and to two other semisubmersibles operating in offshore Egypt and Republic of Congo.

Additionally, a fixed VSAT terminal has been installed at Diamond Offshore’s Houston headquarters to allow for beta testing of new Diamond Offshore applications in a controlled environment before deploying to all drilling rigs and regional offices.

Leveraging its global satellite network, CapRock will land communications traffic at three of its self-owned and operated teleports and provide backhauls to Diamond Offshore’s Houston headquarters. CapRock will provide local field service and support via its worldwide service organization, including its headquarters facility and regional offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Angola. Globally, CapRock supports more than 2,000 customer sites with its teleport infrastructure, 12 regional service and support centers and four 24/7 Network Operation Centers (NOC).

“Diamond Offshore’s continued partnership is a testament to CapRock’s dedication to delivering uncompromised quality of service and support,” said Ron Wagnon, CapRock Communications vice president and general manager for North America. “As a valued customer for more than a decade, we are pleased that Diamond Offshore has again selected CapRock as its trusted partner for reliable communications and we look forward to continuing to provide them with service they can count on.”

About CapRock Communications

With three decades of experience, CapRock Communications is a premier global satellite communications provider for the energy, government and maritime industries as well as for disaster recovery services. A wholly owned subsidiary of Harris Corporation, CapRock utilizes the latest field-proven satellite technologies to deliver highly reliable managed communication services including broadband Internet, voice over IP, secure networking and real-time video to the world’s harshest and most remote locations. CapRock’s Government Solutions team is recognized as a trusted and innovative specialty telecommunications and IT solutions partner for defense, intelligence and government organizations, supporting more than thirty government agency customers. Company assets include a self-owned and operated infrastructure of four international teleports and four 24×7 network operations centers across North, Central and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

About Harris Corporation

Harris  is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $5 billion of annual revenue and more than 16,000 employees — including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications® products, systems, and services.

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Source:Caprock, October 14, 2010;