As deep-sea exploration efforts in recent years have tended to yield disappointing results, oil companies are also reported to place greater emphasis on land-based fields. Finally most exploration activity is currently in Eastern Indonesia, where terrestrial connectivity is the most limited.
While about 70% of production sites are connected by optical fiber laid along pipelines, those using VSATs have tended to require higher data rates in recent years as oil companies seek to better monitor wells and to reduce on-site personnel.