Cost saving JETnet deployment solution is key to implementing IT and CCTV security and surveillance systems for energy hubs in the Middle East
Amsterdam, February 9, 2009 -- Draka Communications, a global leader in the optical fiber industry, has announced that it has been awarded a contract for a full turnkey project to design, engineer and implement an advanced fiber optic network for Energy City Qatar, the Middle East’s first energy business centre. Energy City Qatar and similar energy hubs in India, Kazakhstan and Libya cater to the commercial, technical and human resource needs of the oil and gas industry operating in the Gulf region.
The contract was signed last week in Doha, capital of Qatar, by Engineer Hesham Al Emadi, Energy City Qatar Chief executive officer, and Mr. Frank de Bruijn, Business Development Manager, Draka Broadband Solutions.
Under the terms of the agreement Draka will take responsibility for the design and engineering of the entire network and POP location, supply of all materials, all installation, commissioning and final documentation. Three separate networks support the energy hub in Qatar . IT and Datacoms, a security CCTV network for external and internal building protection and an additional CCTV network for street surveillance. The Energy City Qatar project will begin this year and is expected to be fully completed by the end of 2009.
Draka’s JETnet solution is key in ensuring that the Energy City fiber networks are implemented with efficiency and at the lowest cost. JETnet is a duct/microduct solution which can be used for telecommunication networks as well as for CCTV networks . The Draka solution involves air blowing cables through microducts with jets of air from a central point up to more than a kilometer away.
Compared to traditional network installation solutions , JETnet can mean up to 90% fewer manholes as well as less ducts. Draka’s proprietary microducts can take up to 144 fibers per cable and a total of 1008 fibers for each 50 mm duct. Using JETnet a team of 3 people can deploy cables up to 8 km a day, compared with traditionally cable laying techniques that need twice the manpower for a quarter of the distance.
For JETnet projects in Europe, Draka estimates that implementation time and labour costs during implementation stages can be reduced significantly. Additional savings are incurred from reduced cable splicing, storage space and building access.
The success of Draka’s JETnet solution in FTTH installations, often involving over 200,000 homes, depends greatly on micro-engineering precision which ensures a smooth, successful passage of the cable through micro-ducts.
About Energy City Qatar (ECQ)
Energy City Qatar (ECQ) is a pioneering development that will be the Gulf’s first oil and gas industry hub. ECQ will be a single point of access to markets and expertise, the Middle East home for global players in the hydrocarbon value chain. Envisioned by Gulf Energy, ECQ aims to attract the industry leaders in Oil & Gas production, IOCs, NOCs, support services, infrastructure and downstream activities, shipping and trading, market and resource data, intellectual property and energy trading.
ECQ has the full support of the Qatari Government and aims to lead the way in hydrocarbon above ground resource development. ECQ forms part of the major new city development, Lusail, which in addition to major business and entertainment districts, will be house up to 200,000 residents. Qatar is the most progressive, business friendly and the fastest growing economy in the Middle East. Home to the world’s third largest natural gas reserves, Qatar has a stable and maturing political environment, a free press, and internationally recognized regulatory environment.
ECQ’s lead financial advisor is Gulf Finance House, and PFC Energy is its strategic advisor. Its strategic partners are the Abu Dhabi Investment House and Kuwait Investment Company. For more information: www.energycity.com.
About Draka
Draka, headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is a €2.8 billion, publicly listed (Euronext) company with 9,550 employees worldwide. As from 2008, Draka’s activities are divided into three Groups: Energy & Infrastructure, Industry & Specialty and Communications.
Draka Communications is a world leader in the development, production and sale of optical fiber, cable and cable systems. Draka has 68 operating companies in 30 countries throughout Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia.
For more information please visit www.draka.com.