Tampnet, which operates a fiber network in the North Sea that serves oil and gas platforms (see "Tampnet upgrades North Sea submarine network"), among other customer locations, says it has closed the acquisition of a similar network in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) from BP. The close, which occurred March 30, completed an agreement signed last July. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The network covers 1200 km and includes both terrestrial and undersea elements (see map above). Tampnet says it has launched a 300-km expansion project that also will see connection to two or three more deep water assets.
The company will pair the fiber assets with a 4G/5G LTE wireless network that, among other uses, will support sensor networks and other elements of the Internet of Things (IoT). Tampnet has partnered with AT&T for this purpose; the latter also will use the Tampnet infrastructure to support delivery of FirstNet services.
“The acquisition of BP’s GoM fiber network represents one of the most significant milestones in the history of this company. We promise to nurture, develop, and expand the fiber network and related technologies and services over the next 15-20+ years,” commented Tampnet CCO Trygve Hagevik. “Our aim is to grow our GoM business through providing exceptional value to our customer base – as the industry continues to leverage new technologies and digitalization in their quest for safer, greener, and more efficient operations offshore. As with our North Sea network, we will make it simple, risk free, and cost-effective to connect new field developments to the existing fiber infrastructure – as opposed to the costly alternative of running new fiber to shore.”
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