High speed LTE Internet became available in three extractive fields in Yamal

Voice communication and high-speed mobile LTE Internet appeared on the territory of Kharbeyskoye, Russkoye and Samburgskoye fields in Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. With help of mobile base stations the telecommunication operator and digital service provider MTS not only provided communication to more than 2 thousand gas workers, but also prepared the basis for introduction of digital technologies in the extractive fields - from the Internet of things to cloud technologies.

The mobile stations “arrived” in the fields from afar, from the MTS technical base in Noyabrsk. Thus, it took more than 600 kilometers to deliver the equipment to Samburgskoye field. At the same time, “the towers” were deployed on each object in just 2-3 days. The information was given to the news agency “Sever-Press” in the press service of the MTS branch in Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. As a result, communication became available to gas workers in three standards, including LTE: even on the territory of a remote field it is possible to go online at speeds up to 75 Mbit/s. It allows downloading “heavy” content in the form of movies and music, making video calls and monitoring websites.

The stations of mobile format are indispensable in remote locations of Yamal, where there is no communication coverage, or the signal is too weak. They can withstand temperature fluctuations from 45C degrees below zero to 55C degrees above zero and high humidity typical of the Far North. At the same time, the equipment is completely protected from dust, water and snow and is resistant to ice formation.

The potential of such base station is not only in appearing of communication in the field, but also in opportunities for further digitalization of the field. On the basis of the LTE network it is possible to deploy internal communication between subdivisions at the facility with a secure communication channel and to organize a Private LTE network, in which a system of IoT sensors and M2M applications providing digital ecosystem of the enterprise will operate.

“The launch of the mobile base stations allows quickly organizing stable communication even in the most complex and remote locations in Yamal. In addition, this is a kind of preparatory stage before construction of communication networks: we analyze data traffic and collect feedback from subscribers. For example, we saw the traffic growth by up to 70-75% in Russkoye field during the first days after connection of the mobile base stations. In 2020 we continue implementing plans on development of the network in extractive fields of Yamal: in addition to Samburgskoye, Kharbeyskoye and Russkoye fields, we have recently “digitized” the North-Komsomolskoye, having launched mobile Internet there for the first time”, said Yevgeniy Varyvdin, the director of the MTS branch in Yamal.