July 22, 2013

Globalstar, Inc. is making its mobile satellite services an invaluable resource for the oil and gas industry and putting the company years ahead of the competition.

Canada's oil and gas industry relies on mobile satellite communications to drive productivity, efficiency and improve worker safety. "With growing demand for skilled labour and ongoing exploration activity, oil and gas companies are looking for efficient new ways to automate data monitoring, reporting and control tasks, and provide reliable voice and data communications for remote workers," said Jim Mandala, Vice President and General Manager, Globalstar Canada Satellite Co.. "With its second generation satellite constellation now in place, Globalstar is positioned better than ever to meet these customers' evolving needs."

• Automated Data Monitoring of Oil and Gas Wells: MRL Integrated Solutions

Timely and reliable access to well performance can be especially challenging when oil wells are located in remote northern parts of the western provinces and territories. Conditions are hostile, temperatures frigid, daylight hours limited, and electricity and cell towers out of the picture, making onsite visits costly and time consuming. MRL Integrated Solutions of Alberta has been applying an effective solution to this challenge: a GSP 1720 Satellite Data and Voice Module from Globalstar that allows operators to access real-time data streams via a web interface from any location. The solar-powered, two-way data and voice technology leverages both satellite and cellular communications based on availability ensuring seamless and reliable access to data in the most cost effective manner.

According to George Tulle, President of MRL Integration Solutions Ltd., a Calgary-based company that serves customers in the oil and gas industry in western Canada and the U.S., "MRL strives to build and deliver solutions for real-time data delivery in a variety of services that provide value for our clients. The value of real-time data delivery is perhaps best summed up by the old saying 'time is money' which perfectly describes the logic driving the growth in demand for faster access to data from critical oil and gas services. The faster data can be provided, the faster decisions can be made, thus increasing the probability of optimizing the performance of the asset which is the oil and gas well undergoing the service work."

• Remote Worker Connectivity: Tall Pines Oilfield Services

While cellular coverage is more widespread than it's ever been, satellite technology continues to play an increasingly important role in improving productivity and accessibility for workers in the oil and gas industry. For people like Brent Neufield of Tall Pines Oilfield Services, satellite is the means by which he can keep the lines of communication open with clients and home office, even when he's working in the most far-reaching corners of the country. As a Well Control Supervisor, Neufield estimates that he can be on the phone reporting to clients and/or team members 20 to 100 times a day when on the job. More than half of those communications rely on satellite services, since he often spends months at a time in remote locations where cellular reception is sporadic or non-existent.