The new Shefa-2 submarine cable is making the island communities of Faroe, Shetland and Orkney better connected with the rest of the world than ever while offering revolutionary communication perspectives for offshore oil and gas rigs.
As the Shefa-2 submarine fiber optic cable becomes operational in the first quarter of 2008, Faroese Telecoms 120-million dkk (16.1m eur) investment is adding a whole new dimension to telecommunications in the region between Iceland and the UK. For the Faroe Islands, the increased data transmission capacity offered by the new link is set to open up new business opportunities while at the same time making communication services more stable. Meanwhile, for the first time in history, the Orkney and Shetland Islands north of Scotland are getting the high-speed, high-quality connectivity that only fiber optics can offer.
The Shefa-2 complements two other cable connections which, together with satellite links, have provided the sole basis of the Faroes overseas telecommunications: FarIce, placed in 2004 from Iceland via Faroe to Scotland, and the Cantat 3, Canadas 1994 transatlantic connection.
By November 2007, only a month after the new cable had been beached in Shetland, British Telecom signed a 15-year contract with Faroese Telecom to secure priority access for its clients. According to a statement, it was a deal worth double-digit millions of dkk.
In cooperation with BT and other telcos, Faroese Telecom can now offer an array of broadband communication services to oil and gas platforms in the area southeast of Faroe and west of Shetland, according to Páll Höjgaard Vesturbú, managing director of FT Net, the company that operates the Shefa-2 cable.
As stated on the new Shefa.fo website: From PoPs (points-of-presence) in the Faroe Islands, Ayre of Care in Orkney and Banff in Scotland, Faroese Telecom offers high capacity, low latency fiber-optic submarine cables to the offshore industry sites located in the North Sea. Via the PoPs in Aberdeen and London, communication services are available directly from platform to head office.
We carefully considered costs and benefits before embarking on this ambitious project, Mr Vesturbú said. BT committed itself early on to participate and the cable route was planned accordingly. However, there is still much more capacity available.
He added: Oil companies may differ immensely with regard to policies and practices, but there is clearly a global trend toward utilizing the power of broadband connectivity to streamline operations and heres an opportunity to greatly enhance efficiency as well as working conditions by using communication technology.
Mr Vesturbú said the new connection opens up prospects of significant cost savings for offshore operators. A communication link of this caliber can greatly reduce costs inasmuch as the need to have expert personnel stationed on the rigs can be brought down to a fraction of what it is currently. In this way, cooperation between rigs and headquarters can be made much more effective, as large amounts of data can be transmitted in real time. Mobile IP telephone systems and rich media Internet can likewise be offered companies will actually be able to follow operations from onshore communication centers using live video links. All this is made possible because of the huge capacity the Shefa-2 offers compared to satellite connections.
In Shetland and Orkney, not surprisingly, the new connection has been welcomed. The completion of the first ever subsea, fiber link to the Northern Isles is great news for Scotlands telecoms landscape, said Jim Mather, Scottish Government Enterprise Minister. I would encourage everyone involved to maximize the cables potential, to ensure that all businesses and householders in Orkney and Shetland are able to reap the benefits.
Faroese Telecom chief executive Kristian Reinert Davidsen stated: For any community to remain competitive in the face of globalization, reliable and effective communications are essential.
On another note, after its acquisition of marine electronics company Vikmar, Faroese Telecom has enhanced its satellite-based services for vessels at sea. Among the offers, full-fledged VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solutions for fishing vessels and merchant ships.
Together with Vikmar, weve had a number of services developed in the last few years, Mr Davidsen said. These include web and email access at sea and, more lately, a special telephony solution developed for the fish industry, adding VoIP to existing satellite-based broadband systems on board ships which means seafaring people can be on the phone with their loved ones at home at landline rates, using a regular phone number. Were dealing with a highly scalable solution that includes the option of integrating vessels at sea and offices on shore in one IP communications package.
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