Rugged connectivity

For the upstream oil and gas industry wireless technologies have only recently begun to make their mark, and with the imminent release of the Motorola MC75, it seems that the wireless revolution has truly arrived.

Motorola’s new handheld MC75 is the latest addition to their portfolio of EDAs (Enterprise Digital Solutions), a multiple function mobile device built for rugged environments. The key new features of the product, which replaces its predecessor the MC70, includes a two mega pixel camera, a 3.5″ high resolution screen, 3G capabilities, GPS navigation, larger memory and Windows Mobile operating system.

According to Motorola’s Enterprise Mobility press release, the MC75 will “increase worker productivity and efficiency, reduce operational coasts and errors, and enhance customer service by delivering voice, data, GPS navigation, and camera based capture.”

Oil and Gas Middle East spoke with Tarek Hassaniyeh, regional sales manager for Motorola’s Enterprise Mobility business, about the new device. “What’s so great about the MC75 is that it uses the latest communication features like 3G, which utilises HSDPA [High Speed Downlink Packet Access] at about 100kb per second, so you can send information and data and at the same time communicate.

A lot of customers in the oil and gas sector will have field technicians going out on the rigs doing their jobs. What they will be able to do is capture information, images or videos about what is happening in a situation, and then send it in a secure and fast manner with this device,” said Hassaniyeh.

The possibilities for industry workers do not end there thanks to the GPS capabilities of the device. According to Hassaniyeh this will mean workers will no longer get lost or have any excuse for being late, as location and route optimization can be provided by the MC75. This may be particularly useful for desert locations which have been difficult to locate in the past.

“If you’re in a situation where someone is trying to locate a rig in the middle of the desert, at the moment they have scouts who know the area and the desert. With the GPS they will know where the location is because they can track it via GPS, and then it will direct them,” he said.

“What’s very important to the company is to make sure they can mange the large number of field technicians that they have in multiple different locations. If they are doing things in a manually, to enter information onto the system will take days. However, with such a device the information can be uploaded to the system in real-time,” said Hassaniyeh.

“And it is not only about capturing information but also having the ability to retrieve information from the company’s system, so they never need to leave the job site,” he added.
 

The usability and connectivity of the MC75 should not be a problem according to Hassaniyeh, who believes the simple interface, the willingness to use the latest technology and open standard wif-fi connection will mean the product is welcomed by workers.

“Throughout at least 15-17 years that our devices have been used in the region we have seen the adoption of such technology in enterprise has been quite smooth.

Of course you would have to do a bit of training to the end-users, but nowadays the applications are built in a way so that they are very user friendly. A lot of time the end-users or the people who are on the ground utilising these devices are actually quite happy, because they are using new technology and learning new skills which is making their work easier,” said Hassaniyeh.

To top it all the MC75 is built to last, even in tough industrial environments. According to Hassaniyeh, its rugged, waterproof and airtight casing, which can withstand drops to concrete of more than 1.5 metres, should mean the product will have a much longer lifespan. A rugged piece of kit then for a rugged industry.