Gazprom Transgaz Yekaterinburg Builds Its Own Satellite Communications Network
The system is based on the Yamal satellite constellation.
For Russian companies operating in the extractive industries, communications infrastructure has never been just a supporting tool. It is a core operational element that directly affects the reliability of resource deliveries to customers. That is why major industrial operators have spent years building their own corporate communications networks rather than depending entirely on third-party telecom providers.
An In-House Communications Platform
Gazprom Transgaz Yekaterinburg has now taken the same approach by launching its own satellite communications system to improve connectivity with employees working at remote gas pipeline sites.
Both the communications platform itself and the required hardware were developed internally by Gazprom Transgaz Yekaterinburg engineers. Initial pilot deployments began back in 2024 and 2025, when the company tested both fixed receiving terminals and mobile communications units.
The fixed equipment was tested at the Maloistokskoye linear production department for trunk gas pipelines. There, engineers installed a satellite terminal at a base station operated by a third-party telecom provider. The system delivered network coverage across an area spanning several dozen square kilometers.
Mobile Complexes Offer Greater Flexibility
In the mobile configuration, the core satellite communications hardware is mounted on an equipment rack inside either a wheeled trailer unit or a vehicle body, while the terminal’s satellite dish is installed externally. A 14-meter telescopic base station antenna is raised above the trailer. The setup can provide stable communications coverage within a 14-kilometer radius. If broader coverage is required, multiple operating units can be combined into a single network.
Following the trials, the company concluded that the mobile hardware platform offered the highest functionality. The system, named Kupol-160, supports not only voice transmission, but also the transfer of photographs from operational worksites along with sending and receiving email.
Gazprom Transgaz Yekaterinburg currently operates three mobile satellite communications complexes. Specialists are also evaluating options for integrating the equipment into compact modules mounted on passenger vehicle platforms.
The company can now deploy a mobile communications complex at virtually any point along its pipeline routes. Roskomnadzor has already granted approval for the use of Kupol-160 throughout the Sverdlovsk, Kurgan, Chelyabinsk and Orenburg regions.
Satellite Infrastructure vs Ground Networks
The satellite communications network developed by Gazprom Transgaz Yekaterinburg is based on the Yamal satellite constellation operated by Gazprom Space Systems. For Russia, Yamal became the country’s first commercial satellite platform and has now been operating for more than 25 years, primarily across Gazprom infrastructure facilities. For the corporation, the approach proved significantly more cost-effective than relying on third-party telecom infrastructure or constructing dedicated terrestrial microwave relay stations.
Manufacturing Capacity Expands
In April 2025, Gazprom SPKA, the company responsible for developing and manufacturing the hardware, announced that it was fully prepared to begin serial production of both geostationary and low-Earth-orbit communications satellites. At the time, Gazprom SPKA Director General Andrey Yakovlev said all work could be performed within a single integrated clean-zone facility. The site consolidates all required equipment for ground-based experimental testing as well as subsequent assembly and qualification testing of spacecraft systems.
The Gazprom Transgaz Yekaterinburg project could eventually be scaled across other companies in the extractive industries. Satellite communications have already demonstrated their reliability, particularly in areas where deploying terrestrial infrastructure is impractical or economically unfeasible.
