In the complex world of extraction industries like oil & gas and mining & quarrying, communication infrastructure is not just a system for support, but a mission-critical element. As the industry adopts digitally transformative change, advanced telecommunication technologies are reshaping how companies explore, produce, and manage energy resources. Although the adoption of IoT in these industries has been consistently increasing, the full potential has still not been realised since the vast expanses of land and sea that are used by extractive industries are often cut off from terrestrial networks. For example, currently, roughly one-third of global oil & gas production comes from offshore sources, a figure that is increasing further as onshore resources deplete. The scenario is similar in the mining & quarrying industries, where a very high proportion of extraction occurs in remote and challenging areas.
This report explores seven key domains of change enabled by new connectivity technologies that are currently impacting extractive industries, particularly oil & gas and mining & quarrying. It analyses the role of the connectivity technologies that enable these domains of change, including mobile private networks, satellite, and hybrid networks. The report examines how mobile private networks, in combination with satellite connectivity, are reshaping connectivity in remote and operationally challenging environments by delivering resilient, continuous service and addressing longstanding operational constraints. Additionally, it explores the potential for 3GPP Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) satellite connectivity to support new and enhanced solutions in these sectors.
In the first section of the report, we examine the diverse IoT-enabled use cases in extractive industries. The second section looks at the main connectivity technologies that already are or have high capability to support these IoT use cases. In the third section, we highlight selected telecom vendors that have specialised offerings in this space.
