- Nokia has won a deal to replace Ericsson and Huawei 4G across maritime operator Tampnet's public and private networks with 5G
- HPE will supply the private cores, with Mavenir providing cores for the public networks
- The 5G replacement will take quite a bit of time, Tampnet's CTO Infrastructure explains
Ahoy matey! Get ready for a Nokia 5G takeover of the high seas.
Anders Tysdal, CTO of offshore private wireless operator Tampnet, told Fierce via email that the company is replacing Ericsson and Huawei 4G radios across its entire footprint with Nokia 5G radios after the vendor won its 5G RFP. That's a big win for Nokia considering Tampnet's network spans over 120 active base stations that serve more than 350 oil and gas platforms, FPSOs (Floating Production Storage & Offloading Units), exploration rigs, wind farms and vessels, by SNS Telecon & IT's count.
Analyst firm Dell'Oro has said that Huawei, Nokia and Ericsson are the top 3 private RAN suppliers in the world. Nokia is the top Western player in the market and this new win reinforces the vendor's momentum in this space.
The upgrade to 5G radios will take some time, Tysal explained, though Tampnet has initially started deploying 5G for Aker BP on its Edvard Grieg platform off the coast of Norway. “We will spend some time to do this due to the difficulties and limited access to the offshore sites. We follow a plan and execute according to customer, capacity, regulator and product demands as they arise,” the CTO said.
Tysdal noted that Tampnet was the first maritime operator of offshore 4G in 2013. Going forward, he said all new deployments will be 5G.
In addition to Nokia's 5G radios, the CTO said Tampnet will use HPE for its private network cores. “We are also working on a second core supplier for our private products,” Tysdal added.
Beyond its private network offerings, Tampnet operates macro public networks – primarily in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. For those public network cores, the company is using Mavenir products.
“Any offshore user can connect to our network, regardless of industry, either directly or through our roaming partners," Tysdal explained. "For example we provide FirstNet coverage through our cooperation with AT&T in the US.”
So, enjoy your summer fun and let the waves of 5G – eventually – crash over you.