Ocean Greatwhite is 123 metres long and 78 metres wide and was delivered at Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) in Ulsan, South Korea. Credit: HHI

[Via Satellite 09-13-2016] ITC Global has been awarded a three-year contract to provide broadband connectivity to the world’s largest semi-submersible drilling rig. The end-to-end service will enable the newly built rig to manage essential business communications and monitor and maintain operations through ITC Global’s Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) solution. The ultra-deepwater, harsh environment rig has been commissioned by a major petroleum exploration and production company to begin operations in October in the Great Australian Bight, positioned on the coastline of southern and western Australia.

ITC Global has completed installation of two stabilized antenna systems on the rig, featuring a C- and Ku-band dual switching setup, delivering high-speed data service via two satellites. The turnkey voice and data solution is backed by ITC Global’s 24×7 network monitoring and support. While operating offshore Australia, services will be supported by the global Network Operation Center (NOC) along with local support from the Australia operations team. In the event of future moves, the rig will maintain uninterrupted connectivity across ITC Global’s worldwide Ku-band network, regardless of the transit path or final destination.