Iranian news sources reported in 2008 that Iran had acquired directional drilling technology.

FORBES: Put China To A Choice: Tehran Or Texas

Directional drilling, bits, submersible pumps, pressure pumping, oilfield chemicals (which is about to be huge, as shale wells get frakked)--they do it all.

FORBES: Mountains and Molehills

This led to breakthroughs in 3D seismology and directional drilling.

ECONOMIST: Oil firms you have never heard of are booming

Once seen as badly trailing its competitors in areas such as directional drilling and drilling fluids, Halliburton now has everything it needs to win contracts for projects such as designing, building and operating systems to manage production from oilfields.

FORBES: Mr. Outside saves the day

According to a 2009 Congressional Research Service report on unconventional gas shales, directional drilling (sometimes referred to as horizontal drilling) allows for access beyond the area below the drill to both oil and gas reserves in locations inaccessible to conventional drilling, including to difficult to reach offshore reserves.

FORBES: Put China To A Choice: Tehran Or Texas

It does a thriving business in directional-drilling equipment used, among other things, to lay fiber-optic cable.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The technological magic in fracking resides in the maturation of directional and steerable drilling.

FORBES: Buckeye Oil Billions Will Unleash an Ohio Manufacturing Tech Boom