Ericsson agreed a deal to provide Ooredoo Qatar’s oil and gas enterprise customers with 4G network connectivity, a partnership aimed at connecting offshore facilities with arriving ships. 

The vendor stated Ooredoo will deploy its equipment to improve network infrastructure and establish connectivity between oil and gas facilities and ships, as well as provide 4G to Ooredoo’s commercial users in the area, Ericsson said. 

It added its RAN equipment is designed to withstand “demanding and complex working conditions” at offshore environments and is ATEX 2 Zone certified, which means its kit meets the requirements to operate in a hazardous setting. 

Ericsson and Ooredoo claimed a proof of concept for the technology had already been deployed on one site and it will plan a “major execution” soon. 

Chief business officer at Ooredoo Qatar Thani Al Malki said the tie-up allows it to use and modernise its extensive network infrastructure “to provide our oil and gas enterprise customers with a cutting-edge offshore 4G network”. 

Kevin Murphy, VP and head of Ericsson Levant countries and global customer unit Ooredoo Group at Ericsson MEA added Ooredo Qatar “has seen massive RAN and infrastructure upgrades in recent years”, adding the collaboration will deliver high-quality connectivity required by oil and gas enterprise clients. 

Earlier this year, the companies inked an MoU, extending their 5G partnership for another five years to deepen their collaboration on RAN technologies and explore use cases spanning IoT, AI and machine learning for mobile networks, aligning with Qatar’s 2030 digitalisation goals.