[Satellite News 12-09-08] CapRock Communications signed a five-year contract with offshore drilling contractor Transocean to provide VSAT communications onboard Transocean’s offshore fleet, CapRock announced Dec. 9. The deal marks the world’s largest global deployment of such services for a single drilling contractor, according to CapRock.
    Under the terms of the agreement, CapRock Communications will consolidate Transocean’s different VSAT systems and services across its geographically dispersed fleet and shore base facilities into one network that will support Transocean’s rigs moving from one region to the next. CapRock’s VSAT connectivity will also support voice-over-IP, secure access to the corporate network and Internet access.
    “Uptime is critical for our clients,” said Ron Wagnon, CapRock vice president and general manager. “For Transocean to try to figure out where in the chain a satellite communications problem is, should it occur, is simply not an option. With CapRock managing everything from start to finish and dedicating a team specific to Transocean, we will be able to pinpoint any issues that arise and they will receive immediate attention and resolution.”
    The deal represents an expansion of the existing partnership between the two companies where CapRock has provided broadband services to Transocean’s fleet in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and certain rigs in West Africa and Brazil.
    Finanacial terms of the contract were not disclosed.