How Private 5G Is Transforming Oil & Gas Operations in the Field

Technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced analytics provide tremendous opportunities to increase efficiency, safety, and sustainability. However, for businesses with operations in remote locations, the lack of public infrastructure, including cloud connectivity, often places these digital innovations out of reach.

Until recently, this has been the predicament of oil and gas companies operating oil wells, pipelines, and offshore rigs in remote, hard-to-reach locales. But the arrival of private 5G for oil and gas has changed this. Here’s how private 5G is transforming oil and gas operations in the field.

Secure bandwidth & real-time monitoring in remote locales

5G is a hardened telco network environment that provides one of the most secure networks in the world. Using this same technology, private 5G delivers an ultra-secure, restricted-access mobile network that gives businesses reliable connectivity and bandwidth to support their data transmission needs.

Private 5G enables a transportable “network-in-a-box” solution that can be relocated to provide connectivity and bandwidth in remote locations. This self-contained network offers the low-latency connectivity needed to configure, provision, and monitor a network. Furthermore, private 5G is also incredibly reliable, especially compared to traditional Wi-Fi, enabling superior communications and bandwidth-intensive, edge-to-cloud data transmission.

Increased productivity and efficiency

This highly reliable network solution is transforming oil and gas companies, which rely on heavy equipment with lots of moving parts, often running 24×7. By implementing intelligent IoT solutions that track vibrations, odors, and other conditions, oil and gas companies can monitor distributed, remote sites and equipment from a central location.

This is a game changer from an efficiency and productivity standpoint. For example, private 5G accelerates time to production for remote locations by eliminating the cost and time associated with coordinating with telco to build infrastructure. Additionally, private 5G helps oil and gas companies keep sites running smoothly, combining IoT solutions with AI and machine learning to enable predictive maintenance. This reduces costly equipment breakdowns and repairs, minimizes operational disruptions, and extends the life of hardware.

Furthermore, private 5G enables operators to diagnose and upgrade firmware and machinery and perform maintenance remotely. This decreases the need for travel and the number of crews in the field and reduces equipment downtime.

Private 5G enables improved safety and sustainability

Private 5G supports advanced solutions that boost workplace safety. Oil and gas companies can apply intelligent edge solutions to monitor for security breaches and safety hazards. IoT sensors can detect gas and equipment leaks, temperature fluctuations, and vibrations to avoid catastrophic events and keep employees safe.

From a sustainability standpoint, private 5G enables solutions that help prevent oil and gas leaks, reducing environmental impacts. Furthermore, oil and gas companies can implement smart solutions that minimize energy and resource usage and reduce emissions in the field.

Unlock the potential of private 5G

Private 5G is transforming oil and gas operations as well as businesses in other industries with remote, hard-to-reach operations. As an award-winning, international IT solutions provider and network integrator, GDT can help your organization design and implement an HPE private 5G solution to meet your specific needs.

HPE brings together cellular and Wi-Fi for private networking across multiple edge-to-cloud use cases. HPE’s private 5G solution is based on HPE 5G Core Stack, an open, cloud-native, container-based 5G core network solution.

To discover how private 5G can transform your business, contact the experts at GDT for a free consultation.