Rowan Grants Long-Term Contract to CapRock

Leading global drilling contractor signs multi-year deal for satellite communications

HOUSTON, TEXAS - January 29, 2008

CapRock Communications, a global provider of satellite communications to remote environments, today announced a multi-year agreement with Rowan Companies, Inc. to deliver broadband satellite communications to its fleet of onshore and offshore rigs. Rowan, a premier provider of international and domestic contract drilling, will leverage CapRock’s turnkey communication services to increase the efficiency and performance of its drilling operations.

Rowan has gained its leadership position in the marketplace through its dedication to delivering innovative drilling products and systems, particularly amongst its niche market – hard-to-drill deep gas wells. “It’s important that our customers receive only the highest level of service quality from us,” said Rowan Executive Vice President David Russell. “We understand the significance of dependable communications and support and how they improve the services we deliver to customers.”

CapRock will deliver a virtual office solution to Rowan’s fleet of 28 land rigs located in the Gulf Coast region and 10 offshore rigs located in the Gulf of Mexico – one of which remains off the coast of Trinidad. With CapRock’s VSAT communication services, Rowan personnel can take advantage of broadband Internet, voice over IP and connectivity to the corporate network. Also, CapRock’s services enable Rowan to extend its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to the remote sites as well as its maintenance program.

“Having a monitored and managed communication service at our rig sites enables our crews to maintain the logistical support necessary to keep drilling operations running smoothly,” continued Russell. “By extending applications like our maintenance program, we are able to work remotely with our suppliers to order replacement parts or make direct orders ourselves should the need arise. This helps to increase the delivery speed of ordered materials, reducing wait time.”

In addition to CapRock’s communication services increasing the efficiency and performance of Rowan’s drilling activities, they also support crew morale. Crew members can maintain their daily routine of connecting with family and friends, checking e-mail and staying current on industry and headline news.

Prior to this agreement, CapRock provided similar communication services to only a portion of Rowan’s onshore and offshore fleets. After experiencing the tangible benefits of having the services at a handful of sites, Rowan deployed CapRock’s solutions to its entire Gulf Coast area fleets.

“CapRock is committed to providing uncompromising communications to its customers that operate in dynamic and challenging environments,” said CapRock President, Global Energy Markets, Doug Tutt. “We’re very pleased that Rowan has seen the direct benefits of CapRock’s solutions and trusts us as Rowan furthers its leadership position in the marketplace.”

About CapRock Communications

With more than 25 years of experience, CapRock Communications is a premier global satellite communications provider for the energy, maritime, engineering and construction, mining and disaster recovery industries, as well as for government services. The Company utilizes the latest field-proven satellite technologies to deliver highly reliable managed communication services including broadband Internet, voice over IP, secure networking and real-time video to the world's harshest and most remote locations. CapRock delivers on its promise to be the market's reliability leader by leveraging "best of breed" partnerships, technical expertise and a robust global infrastructure that includes five international teleports and ten regional support centers across the U.S., Central and South America, Europe, West Africa and Asia Pacific. More information about CapRock is available at www.caprock.com.

return to press room