Ecoband Delivers Hans and Co. Oil and Gas Company, an Exceptional Experience!

It is said that necessity is the mother of all invention. This was certainly the case when Ecoband Limited was approached by Hans and Co. Oil and Gas Company. An oilfield Service contractor employed by GNPC to execute the decommissioning of the Saltpond oil field at Offshore Saltpond in the Central Region of Ghana.

The Decommissioning works involve the safe plugging of the wells from which the oil was drawn as well as the dismantling and disposal of the topside production platform and equipment used during the oil production.  

Ecoband was tasked to design a cost-effective and robust voice & data communication system. The goal of this system is to allow 80 to 100 staff members working on the Jackup Rig to have constant communication with the shore base by allowing them to place voice calls and internet access.

 The project had some key objectives before final design and implementation. Some key objects for the design are.

·      Rapid turnaround from design to implementation.

·      Minimal routine maintenance and support, with the ability to support remotely.

·      Meet and exceed traditional voice and data solutions for Oil platforms.

·      Deploy at a fraction of the cost of traditional maritime voice solutions.

Including traditional VSAT phones as well as traditional maritime VSAT solutions, the options are many.

 Ecoband turned to local and international expertise and longtime partners, neXat  describes itself as a pioneering organization working to remove barriers in the satellite connectivity marketplace by providing affordable and dependable IP access.

 Ecoband also partnered with seasoned voice solution providers, Delaphone Ghana. Delaphone Ghana  provides state of the art value-added telephony services for small, medium and enterprise businesses. With a network that is integrated with all mobile network operators, Delaphone delivers prestige and innovative value-added services and solutions that gather and disseminate information exchanged in everyday interaction.  

Elegant in its simplicity, the delivered solution utilizes neXat’s unlimited vouchers for Ka Services on YahSat AY3. This service runs on time-based vouchers for up to 90 days, freeing Hans and Co. from exorbitant and lengthy contracts. With unlimited, uncapped volumes and Max Speed working as a portion of network congestion, Quality of service for voice calls and other activities simply work.

Given that the platform is located several miles off the coast of Ghana, it is essential that the VSAT equipment be reliable, durable, and battle-tested. Therefore, the Ka-band Hughes modem HT2000 with a 74-cm dish plus 1W BUC made for a sustainable and easy-to-install setup on the platform. Terminated with a Mikrotik router, the system was easy to integrate with Delaphones Ghana’s, telephony service.

Delaphone provided its standard IP-PBX service, which includes a phone line from any of its partnered telcos (MTN, Airtel, Tigo, and Vodafone). The service requires approximately 250 KB to comfortably accommodate two concurrent calls. Plugged into the switch, the service comes with a handset, making it simple and easy to use. Additional features of the voice service include:

•      Call Conferencing

•      Virtual Numbers – Claim local numbers for business in 100+ countries even if your team works a continent away.

•      Interactive Voice Response (IVR) – Set an automatic voice response or greeting to each call allowing your customers to be connected to appropriate people or offices based on their needs.

•      Route calls to the best resource – Direct calls to the right teammates with skill based or time-based routing.

•      Business Hours – Route calls based on set customized schedules to your office, mobile devices, voicemail or even a voice response to let your customers know when to call.

•      Forward-to-Phone – Stay in touch even when your office is out of reach by forwarding calls to your mobile device.

Several months in heavy use, the deployment of Ecoband’s simple voice solution has provided Hans and Co. Oil and Gas Company with remarkable results. By working  with all stakeholders and holding true to the objectives of the project, Ecoband has succeeded in “Delivering an Exceptional Experience.”

Junior Brobey the Chief Operating Officer for Hans and Co. Oil and Gas Company says “Every morning we use the solution for our daily operation meetings, it’s easy to make calls, its quick, efficient and it simply works”