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Connectivity for Offshore Rigs and Platforms: Fibre, 4G/5G, Microwave and Satellite

Last updated: October 16, 2026

Last updated: October 16, 2026

Connectivity for Offshore Rigs and Platforms: Fibre, 4G/5G, Microwave and Satellite

Offshore rigs and platforms connect through four kinds of link: subsea fibre to shore, offshore 4G/5G networks around fibre-connected installations, point-to-point microwave or troposcatter radio, and satellite (GEO VSAT, MEO or LEO). Fibre gives the most capacity and the lowest latency where it exists. Satellite reaches everywhere. Most installations combine a primary link with an independent backup.

By the DROAM Editorial Team · Reviewed by Volodymyr, Managing Editor

Key takeaways

  • Subsea fibre is the backbone where it exists. Tampnet alone operates 4,500 km of it in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico.
  • Offshore 4G/5G covers rigs and vessels near fibre-connected platforms and wind farms. Private 5G now runs on production platforms.
  • Microwave links can span well over 100 km with high antenna sites. Troposcatter reaches beyond the horizon.
  • Satellite works anywhere. GEO latency is about 600 ms, MEO about 150 ms by SES’s SLA, and LEO tens of milliseconds.
  • Remote-operated and unmanned platforms need a primary link plus an independent backup.

Why offshore connectivity is different

An offshore installation is an industrial site with no road to it. The link to shore carries several kinds of traffic:

  • process and safety data
  • remote operation
  • business systems
  • crew welfare traffic

Many fields are now operated partly or wholly from land. Equinor’s Valemon platform is normally unmanned and remote-controlled from land. At Johan Sverdrup, a fibre-optic cable bundled with the power cables from shore enables monitoring and, when required, remote control.

At the same time, drilling rigs and support vessels move between fields, so a link that works at one location may not exist at the next. That mix of fixed and mobile assets is why offshore operators combine several technologies.

The main options offshore

Subsea fibre

Subsea fibre gives a fixed platform a terrestrial-grade connection to shore. Tampnet owns and operates 4,500 km of subsea fibre in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico. Through it, Tampnet connects more than 350 offshore wind farms and oil and gas production platforms to shore.

In 2026 Tampnet announced about 400 km of new subsea fibre in the US Gulf. Power-from-shore projects can carry fibre too: Johan Sverdrup’s nearly 200 km of power cables were laid with a fibre-optic cable bundled alongside. Fibre is only realistic for long-lived, fixed installations, because the cable has to reach them.

Offshore 4G/5G and private networks

Base stations on fibre-connected platforms and wind farms can cover the sea around them. Tampnet reports some 120+ base stations and total coverage approaching 600,000 square kilometres. One of them is a base station on a platform 150 km off the coast of Norfolk, UK.

Rigs, supply vessels and crews inside that footprint can use cellular like any mobile network. Platforms also run private 5G. Aker BP’s Edvard Grieg platform was the first offshore production platform with a fully autonomous private 5G and edge computing solution, and further deployments followed on six other Aker BP platforms.

Microwave and troposcatter radio

Point-to-point microwave links connect platforms to each other or to shore where no fibre runs. They need line of sight, so range depends on antenna height. Two Ceragon examples show what high sites allow:

  • a 123 km link to the Yme oil field in the Norwegian North Sea
  • a 182 km offshore link in Brazil, made possible by an onshore site on a mountain at about 2,200 m

Marine-grade systems stabilise the antenna on moving rigs. Troposcatter goes beyond the horizon by scattering the signal off the lower atmosphere. Comtech supplied a 2 GHz troposcatter link to an unmanned platform about 120 km offshore in the Black Sea, with less latency than satellite. An earlier Comtech offshore system was specified at up to 20 Mbps.

Satellite: GEO, MEO and LEO

Satellite reaches any location and has long been the default for remote fields and mobile rigs.

  • GEO VSAT: satellites at 35,786 km (ESA). Latency is about 600 ms (Viasat), and a 2023 study measured a median of 673.5 ms.
  • MEO: SES’s O3b mPOWER operates at about 8,000 km. SES’s offshore energy service is sold with a satellite latency SLA under 150 ms, a network uptime SLA of 99.5% and capacity from 25 Mbps to 1.5 Gbps.
  • LEO: Starlink states 25-60 ms latency and 120-270 Mbps download for its Priority service, a land figure. Eutelsat OneWeb orbits at 1,200 km. Measured medians are 56 ms for Starlink and 154 ms for OneWeb (Raman et al., 2023).

LEO is now used as backhaul on drilling rigs. Tampnet, for example, is fitting an offshore contractor’s rigs with private 5G and LEO backhaul over both Starlink and OneWeb.

Fibre vs 4G/5G vs microwave vs satellite: comparison

The figures below come from the operators, vendors and study listed under Sources. Latency is round-trip. Vendor SLAs and record distances are the vendors’ own figures.

OptionCoverage / reachLatencyCapacityTypical use
Subsea fibreOnly installations the cable reaches (Tampnet: 4,500 km of subsea fibre in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico)Lowest of all options [placeholder: figure]Highest of all options [placeholder: figure]Fixed production platforms, remote operations, backbone for offshore 4G/5G
Offshore 4G/5G / LTEArea around base stations on platforms and wind farms (Tampnet: 120+ base stations, close to 600,000 km²)Low (terrestrial) [placeholder: figure]Shared cell capacity [placeholder: figure]Rigs, vessels and crews inside the footprint; private 5G on platforms
Microwave (line of sight)Limited by antenna height; 123 km and 182 km offshore links reported (Ceragon)Low; below satellite [placeholder: figure][placeholder: figure]Platform-to-shore and platform-to-platform links without fibre; stabilised links to rigs
TroposcatterBeyond the horizon; about 120 km to an unmanned platform (Comtech)“Less latency than satellite” (Comtech)Up to 20 Mbps on one offshore system (Comtech, 2013)Remote platforms out of line-of-sight range
GEO VSATGlobal within geostationary coverageAbout 600 ms (Viasat); 673.5 ms median measured (Raman et al.)[placeholder: figure]Remote fields, mobile rigs, backup link
MEO (SES O3b mPOWER)Satellites at about 8,000 km [placeholder: offshore coverage]SLA under 150 ms (SES)25 Mbps to 1.5 Gbps (SES offshore service)High-capacity primary link for platforms and FPSOs
LEO (Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb)Wherever the service is licensedStarlink 25-60 ms (stated, land); medians Starlink 56 ms, OneWeb 154 ms (Raman et al.)Starlink Priority 120-270 Mbps down, 12-35 Mbps up (stated, land)Rigs and vessels, private 5G backhaul, crew welfare

When not to use each option

Subsea fibre

  • For mobile drilling rigs and vessels, or for short campaigns: the cable cannot follow them.
  • For a field far from any existing cable, unless the project’s life justifies the build [placeholder: cost source].
  • As the only path to a critical installation: a cable cut takes time to repair, so keep a radio or satellite backup.

Offshore 4G/5G

  • Outside the network’s coverage footprint: check the operator’s coverage map for the exact location.
  • As the only link for a rig that will move to another field during the contract.

Microwave and troposcatter

  • Microwave without line of sight or a high enough antenna site.
  • Troposcatter where satellite or fibre already gives enough capacity: the equipment and planning are specialised.
  • Either one as the sole path to a critical site: weather and propagation conditions vary, so keep an independent backup [placeholder: availability source].

GEO VSAT

  • As the only link for real-time remote control or interactive applications: about 600 ms is noticeable.
  • Where fibre, cellular or microwave is available at the location and can carry the load.

MEO

  • For small sites with modest data needs: the service is aimed at high-capacity enterprise links.
  • Outside the provider’s coverage: confirm it for the field.

LEO

  • In waters where the service is not licensed.
  • As the single path for operations that cannot stop: pair it with VSAT, microwave or cellular.
  • When usage would exceed a plan’s priority-data allowance and per-GB charges have not been budgeted.

Redundancy and hybrid setups

Because each technology has its own failure modes, offshore operators usually pair links that do not share them. Typical pairs are:

  • fibre with a radio or satellite backup
  • 4G/5G with LEO
  • LEO with GEO VSAT

A router on the installation sends traffic over the best available path and fails over automatically. Business-critical and safety-related traffic is prioritised over crew traffic. The design starts from one question: which systems must keep working if any single link is lost?

How to choose a setup for a rig or platform

  1. Fixed or mobile? Fixed platforms can justify fibre or microwave. Mobile rigs need links that move with them: satellite, cellular where available, or stabilised radio.
  2. Check what already exists at the location. Look for fibre, offshore 4G/5G coverage, and neighbouring platforms within radio range.
  3. Classify the traffic. Separate control and safety data, business systems and crew welfare, and set availability targets for each.
  4. Plan two independent paths for anything that must not stop.
  5. Compare cost models over the life of the asset. Compare a cable or radio build against recurring satellite or cellular fees [placeholder: cost data].
  6. Check rules and certifications. These include equipment ratings for hazardous areas (for example ATEX) and any regulator requirements for safety communications [placeholder: applicable regulations].

Offshore connectivity from Droam

Disclosure: DROAM News is published by Droam. Droam is an industrial connectivity company that serves offshore energy alongside maritime, logistics, construction and remote sites. It combines cellular 4G/5G, business roaming SIMs, LEO and VSAT satellite and hybrid failover, with hardware and a managed service. [placeholder: Droam-specific facts such as coverage, availability or offshore references, to be supplied and verified by Droam.] See Droam connectivity for energy and mining.

Frequently asked questions

How do offshore oil and gas platforms get internet?

Fixed production platforms near an existing network are often connected by subsea fibre, sometimes bundled with a power cable from shore. Around fibre-connected installations, offshore 4G/5G networks give coverage to nearby rigs and vessels. Where there is no fibre, platforms use point-to-point microwave or troposcatter radio links, or satellite: geostationary (GEO) VSAT, medium Earth orbit (MEO) or low Earth orbit (LEO). Most installations combine two or more of these links.

Is Starlink used on offshore rigs?

Yes. LEO services such as Starlink and Eutelsat OneWeb are now used on offshore drilling rigs, for example as backhaul for an onboard private 5G network. Starlink states 25-60 ms latency for its Priority service. Like any single link, LEO is usually paired with another path (VSAT, microwave or cellular) where operations depend on the connection.

What is the difference between microwave and troposcatter offshore?

Point-to-point microwave needs line of sight between the two antennas, so its range is limited by antenna height and the curvature of the Earth. Very long hops are possible with a high onshore site; Ceragon reports a 182 km offshore link that uses a mountain site at about 2,200 m. Troposcatter scatters the signal off the lower atmosphere to reach beyond the horizon. Comtech, for example, supplied a troposcatter link to an unmanned platform about 120 km offshore.

Why do unmanned platforms need high-availability connectivity?

A normally unmanned platform is monitored and operated from an onshore control room. Equinor’s Valemon platform, for example, is normally unmanned and remote-controlled from land. If the link fails, the operator loses visibility of the installation. That is why these platforms usually run a primary link, such as fibre or microwave, plus an independent backup.

Can offshore 4G/5G replace satellite on a rig?

Only inside the coverage area. Offshore networks such as Tampnet’s place base stations on fibre-connected platforms and wind farms, and Tampnet reports coverage approaching 600,000 square kilometres across its regions. A rig working inside that footprint can use cellular as its main link. Outside it, satellite or a radio link is still needed.

Sources

  1. Tampnet, “Tampnet joins TCCA for the Advancement of Critical Communications” — 4,500 km of subsea fibre; more than 350 wind farms and platforms; 120+ base stations; 600,000 km².
  2. Tampnet, “Tampnet expands 4G/5G LTE in Southern North Sea” — base station 150 km off Norfolk; coverage approaching 600,000 km².
  3. Tampnet, contracts for two new deepwater developments in the US Gulf (2026) — about 400 km of new subsea fibre.
  4. Equinor, Johan Sverdrup power cable (14 May 2018) — nearly 200 km of power cables with bundled fibre; remote control from shore.
  5. Equinor, Valemon remote operation (9 November 2017) — normally unmanned and remote-controlled from land.
  6. RCR Wireless, private 5G offshore with Tampnet (27 August 2025) — Aker BP Edvard Grieg private 5G; LEO backhaul over Starlink and OneWeb on drilling rigs.
  7. Ceragon, PointLink Long-Haul — 123 km link to the Yme oil field; ATEX Zone 1.
  8. Ceragon, “PRIO’s 182km offshore network upgrade” (19 March 2025) — 182 km link; onshore site at about 2,200 m.
  9. Comtech, Midia gas development troposcatter contract (20 March 2019) — 2 GHz link to an unmanned platform about 120 km offshore.
  10. MarineLink, Comtech offshore troposcatter system (2013) — data rate up to 20 Mbps.
  11. ESA, “Types of orbits” — GEO altitude 35,786 km.
  12. Viasat, “Satellite internet latency: what’s the big deal?” — about 600 ms for a geostationary link.
  13. Raman et al., “Dissecting the Performance of Satellite Network Operators”, CoNEXT 2023 — measured median latency: GEO 673.5 ms, Starlink 56 ms, OneWeb 154 ms.
  14. SES, O3b mPOWER starts providing services (24 April 2024) — MEO at 8,000 km.
  15. SES, Offshore Energy mPOWERED service brief — latency SLA under 150 ms; uptime SLA 99.5%; 25 Mbps to 1.5 Gbps.
  16. Starlink, Critical Information Summary: Starlink Priority (March 2025) — 120-270 Mbps down, 12-35 Mbps up, 25-60 ms.
  17. Eutelsat, OneWeb LEO constellation — 1,200 km orbit.

More explainers

  • How offshore connectivity is layered An encyclopaedic guide to offshore network layers, covering access, backhaul, backup links, and the role of satellite in resilient platform design.