• Telecommunications Matrix

The Telecommunications Matrix

Undersea fibre optic cables form the backbone of global communications. Dedicated cable ships sail the world's ocean installing, maintaining and upgrading thousands of miles infrastructure in order to keep pace with demand from communication networks for more capacity.

Sonardyne offers solutions to the global offshore telecommunications industry. Whether it's to assist with installation of a new cable or to recover an existing cable for repair, Sonardyne's underwater acoustic positioning, dynamic positioning reference and transponder release systems offer proven reliability and performance.

6G® USBL

Inside the Telecommunications Matrix, 6G® technology provides techniques for cable tracking from the shallowest water depths to the deepest and largest layback scenarios. It is recognised as the optimum solution for both shallow and deepwater tracking offering a risk-free solution with proven results tracking targets simultaneously to ranges of greater than 6,000 metres.

6G® USBL systems provide high performance, survey grade acoustic positioning designed for tracking any target from towfish through to ploughs. Incorporating Sonardyne Wideband® 2 acoustic signal technology, these solutions are simpler and more intuitive to operate, thereby reducing the need for highly skilled operators.

Sonardyne 6G® USBL is also compatible with a wide range of industry standard transponders including Sonardyne's Wideband Mini Transponders, DPTs and new Compatt 6 making it a very flexible, cost-effective solution. Incorporating Sonardyne's unique 'ping stacking' technology, the systems offer fast position update rates (one second independent of water depth), tracking of up to 10 targets at full ocean depth.

In deepwater, a 6G® Optimised USBL system is capable of achieving high accuracy through the use of a Sonardyne Lodestar AHRS sensor. By mounting the sensor immediately above the USBL transceiver at the top of the deployment pole, the Lodestar is connected to the transceiver, providing it with power and directly processing raw USBL range and bearing data. This achieves a tightly compensated positioning solution that is not available through the use of other commercially available attitude reference devices.

For operations requiring the deployment of towed vehicles, Sonardyne's Inverted USBL techniques have been proven to offer superior positional accuracy over the longest of laybacks. Where high precision is required for ploughing tasks, high update and precise positioning such as that provided by Sonardyne's integrated Lodestar INS techniques is the answer.

 

Acoustic Release

The reliability and versatility of Sonardyne acoustic release transponders has long been recognised by many commercial and scientific organisations around the world who rely upon them for the deployment and recovery of valuable equipment and data.

These benefits are utilised by the marine cable industry to assist with laying down fibre optic cables once they have been repaired. Traditionally, a cable is lowered to the seabed using rope which is often left behind as there is no easy way of releasing the rope from the cable. In deepwater, this represents a significant cost, which can now be avoided as both the rope and acoustic release are recovered after each operation.