Shell Offshore Inc., through IWL Communications, Houston, has let an $18.3 million contract to Alcatel Network Systems, Richardson, Tex., for new equipment for Shell's communications network in the Gulf of Mexico.
Alcatel will supply high and low-capacity digital microwave radios, digital cross connects, and other advanced equipment for Shell's Gulfnet 6000 telecommunications network. This network will provide common-carrier services for all energy companies operating in the Gulf.
IWL Communications is the Gulfnet 6000 prime hardware contractor and systems integrator.
Backbone structure
Shell will construct a high-speed data and voice network to link data processing centers located in New Orleans, Lafayette, La., and Houston to more than 100 oil and gas platforms in the gulf (Fig. 1). The platforms are located up to 200 miles offshore and encompass an area greater than 40,000 sq miles.
The backbone network alone, not counting spur routes, will carry more than 6,000 simultaneous voice or 64 kbit/sec data channels. The system also will have adequate capacity for dedicated and switched video used in teleconferencing and related purposes.
Alcatel and IWL will assist with the installation of equipment through their program management and path-engineering service teams.
The project calls for more than 100 Alcatel MDR-4306e and Alcatel MDR-6000 series digital microwave radios, with capacities ranging from a few hundred to more than 2,000 channels/radio. Path lengths between platforms run 4-25 miles.
Shell also will use Alcatel 1630 SX narrowband digital cross connects for network traffic management and performance monitoring.
Under the terms of an OEM agreement with Alcatel, Newbridge Networks, Herndon, Va., is providing its 3600 MainStreet band-width manager on each platform under the control of a Newbridge 46020 MainStreet network manager.
To account for network outages caused by storms or other phenomena, Alcatel developed a switched ring configuration that can restore service within milliseconds of the failure of any node.
Safety value
To boost platform crew safety, Shell will be able to shut down platforms located on the backbone network by remote control. With this feature, for example, Shell can evacuate crews at the first storm warning and continue some operations through connections provided by the communications network until the onset of the storm, says Alcatel.
The microwave links will operate in the 6-ghz frequency band because of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandate to clear the 2-ghz frequency for the new personal communications services (PCS). Alcatel is relocating numerous private 2-ghz network operators to the 6-ghz band as part of the PCS effort.
Alcatel Network Systems, part of the Alcatel Alsthom group, designs, manufactures, and services voice, data, video, and multimedia telecommunications products. IWL provides telecommunications solutions to the energy market.
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