Tampnet Wins Five-Year Connected Rig Deal with Island Drilling

21 August 2025

(Image credit: Tampnet)

Tampnet, the global leader in offshore connectivity, has secured a five-year contract with Island Drilling AS to supply a complete, next-generation communications stack for the harsh-environment semi-submersible Island Innovator. The service includes low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite back-haul from Starlink and One Web, integrated with the Tampnet North Sea LTE and T-FAST (Multiple Carrier, Low Footprint, High Speed Antenna) microwave/fiber backbone. Combining this with an AI-driven orchestration layer that automatically routes each packet over the optimal path, the fully managed private 4G/5G network delivers seamless mobility and digitalization across the entire rig.

“A well-connected rig is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s the backbone for remote operations and data-driven decision-making,” said Trygve Hagevik, CCO, Tampnet. “By blending LEO, LTE, and LOS/fiber with real-time AI traffic steering and Private Network, we’re giving Island Drilling the performance and resilience they need—plus the freedom to scale advanced use cases such as predictive maintenance, digital twins, and autonomous inspections.”

Roger Simmens, CEO, Island Drilling AS, added, “The Island Innovator operates in some of the world’s toughest conditions. Tampnet’s multi-layer network and private 5G capability will let our crews work smarter and safer while enabling our rig for the digital future.”

Inside the Contract

Hybrid back-haul: Starlink & OneWeb LEO, Tampnet LTE, T-FAST, and microwave/fiber
AI-based orchestration: path-selection & QoS tuned in real time to application needs
End-to-end private 4G/5G: seamless mobility for people, sensors, drones, and robotics
Edge-ready architecture supports digital twins, AR/VR, remote expert video, and
mission-critical voice/data
Guaranteed SLAs & 24/7 NOC support from Tampnet Operations Centers

The deployment will be fully operational before Island Innovator commences its next North Sea campaign in Q4 2025.