CapRock Services Corp., established in 1981 to provide satellite communications services to the oil and gas community, just added Oceaneering International Inc. [OII] to its customer base.

CapRock’s IP Xpress Network will be used aboard OII’s support vessels to improve communications, CapRock officials said.

CapRock, a major provider of satellite telecommunications services to the drilling industry on the Texas/Louisiana Gulf Coast, uses the industry-standard Cisco AVVID architecture for its backbone.

The CapRock IP Xpress provides OII’s ships with four voice-over IP (VoIP) lines, allowing OII customers to use dedicated lines while aboard the vessel, CapRock officials said. In addition, customers have Internet access and phone numbers that can be changed on the fly to enable new numbers to be created as needed.

High-speed data connectivity provided by the network lets a crew quickly transmit data, maps, pictures and other information, CapRock officials said. The range of applications supported by the IP Xpress Network includes VoIP, voice mail, unified messaging, multiple virtual private networks (VPNs), video surveillance, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) IP, video conferencing and IP wireless access, company officials said.

–Paul Dykewicz