TC Communications ensures deep sea exploration company Benthic Geotech's offshore clients and crew stay connected via the Inmarsat satellite network

"We are one of only two companies in the world that can provide these geotechnical services required by large oil companies and other offshore industries to collect the level of accurate sample data from the ocean floor at depths safely in excess of one kilometre," says Kazim Reza, CFO, Benthic Geotech. "We recently successfully completed our first West African project and another in Norway - where we were chosen ahead of several other global geotechnical survey companies - and will soon be deploying our second PROD unit to expand our operations around the world."

Kazim says whilst most seagoing vessels have their own satellite communication systems, the nature of the work the company conducts means clients often require their own systems for security purposes, separate to which Benthic Geotech needs an 'always-on' system for communicating with colleagues back at its operations centres. "We previously use a satellite modem that was too much hassle to learn and consequently went unused much of the time" he says. "Because of the project-based nature of our work, we needed a system that was easy to use and gave us flexibility to lease it on a case-by-case basis as required. TC Communications demonstrated its knowledge of our business by providing us with a solution that not only matched our technical and financial requirements, but also provided additional functionality like broadband data which gives us an extra value-add service to offer our clients."

Benthic Geotech's teams are today equipped with Inmarsat's FB250 FleetBroadband service, the first maritime communications service to provide cost-effective broadband data and voice, simultaneously, through a compact antenna, on a global basis. "For the first time since I can remember, I haven't heard any of our staff complaining about the communications terminal" quips Reza. "Seriously, it was easy to install and has proven reliable and easy to use ever since. Even more impressive is the level of service we've experienced from TC Communications. For example, a few months ago the terminal was left on accidentally - costing us money for every minute it was polling the satellite network - and we got a call from TC to alert us to switch it off."

"Our business is not a nine-to-five operation and support calls can come in at any time of day or night" he adds. "TC Communications has demonstrated its worth by setting up training for our crew at their base of mobilisation so we wouldn't have to delay a project to get potentially life saving training on the system. It's this commitment to the relationship that sets otherwise good technology apart from a great solution."

Todd McDonell, CEO of TC Communications, says "in an industry fraught with danger, amid the very important and sensitive engineering and scientific work, a bulletproof communications system is one of the most important pieces of equipment for any offshore crew. It's a primary link for our customers in cases where things threaten to go wrong," says McDonell. "Sometimes it's the little things like giving a crew direct contact with their families, which can make all the difference on a long-term project, and other times the terminal comes into its own as a conduit for mission critical operational support."

"Fleet Broadband is a significant advance on previous satellite services, enabling our customers around the world to expand their operations and extract maximum value from their communications investment" says Piers Cunningham, Inmarsat's Head of Maritime Business. "TC Communications has yet again been able to adapt the technology to meet the needs of its clients and in doing so has delivered real business benefits for Benthic Geotech where, with it's previous technology, there were none to speak of."

"Our clients typically want as much information as they can get about a site before they send out the heavy equipment to start building oil platforms or laying undersea pipes or cables" says Reza. "This information is not always easy to come by and given the ocean floor has the consistency of toothpaste, the faster the information can be relayed back to clients, the sooner they can make informed decisions.'