Shell has sights set on satellite

Europe?s largest satellite-based private network came a step closer to reality this week as Shell evaluated results of pilot studies.

The oil giant is planning a network of 11,000 terminals at 8,000 service stations and central sites linked by satellite with bandwidths of up to 30Mbits per second. Shell is assessing satellite hardware and services from three vendors.

This will provide a single network, replacing a mixture of contracts with separate European telecoms carriers.

Shell declined to name the three satellite services suppliers or the length of the pilot, but confirmed that it tested equipment using the very small aperture terminals (VSAT) specification.

Communications Systems, a consultancy specialising in satellite technology, said Shell?s strategy to use VSAT technology would allow it to cull its suppliers and introduce pan-European service standards.

Simon Bull, consultant at Communications Systems, said Shell was wise to avoid waiting for broader-bandwidth satellite services, such as Teledesic, which are being promised by suppliers over the next few years. While broadband systems will operate beyond 30Mbits per second, they will also run at a higher frequency, making them more susceptible to outages caused by heavy rain, Bull said.

?There are an awful lot of applications that require very high availability,? he said.

Analyst Giga Information Group said VSAT technology will allow Shell to add more sites to its network easily, without the need for additional land lines.

Martha Bennett, Giga Information Group European research vice president, said: ?VSAT is the technology of choice if the same information must be distributed to multiple locations. For instance, if sales pricing or inventory information must be distributed to all locations, VSAT will be much more efficient than any other technology.?