Mines are usually found in remote areas, in sparsely populated parts of the world. This is understandable, as mining can take up a lot of room and be hazardous. With a low population density and far away from urban or suburban areas, it rarely makes financial sense for wireless providers to install telecommunications equipment for the mining operation to use and be part of the public network, regardless of whether the mine is underground or open-air.
Mining and communications through the years
Beginning early in the 20th century, communications between those down in a mine and those above ground was handled by a wired telephone. When wireless developed, attempts were made to use extremely low frequency (ELF) waves and later, ultra-high frequency and very-high frequency (UHF/VHF) waves, both with limited success. The ‘leaky feeder’ system was developed in the 1970s, using a coaxial cable with the outer sheath shaved away, allowing it to work as an antenna. Leaky feeders and Wi-Fi have been the dominant methods of communication until private networks arrived. Mining companies find it beneficial to replace existing Wi-Fi networks, often with hundreds of access ports, to LTE or 5G, needing only a handful of radio points. For example, an iron mine in Canada replaced 45 Wi-Fi access points with two LTE sites.
Mining is a dangerous field
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has often recognized mining as one of the top ten most dangerous professions, so any measures to improve safety are welcome. The advent of LTE and 5G private networks has been a milestone in mining communication, providing upgrades that better communications, enhance safety and efficiency, increase productivity, and reduce OpEx.
Drones improve safety and cut costs
Drones running on private networks have become a valuable tool for mines in the struggle to improve safety, both for underground and open-air mines. For the latter, drones are primarily used to map sites but are also used for security and inventory. With the vast area and often dangerous locations covered by some mining operations, it is costly and time-prohibitive to have personnel scout the area and is potentially hazardous. The transmission of 4K video for in-flight drone steerage requires low latency and high reliability. Drones can cover large areas safely, performing aerial mapping in a fraction of the time it would take people on the ground.
In the last few years, drones have become capable of effective operations deep inside a mine, now able to work without the above-ground benefit of GPS coordination. LTE and 5G networks allow for the controlling operator to be safely above ground. Drones are used to explore areas of mines that might be hazardous to humans, such as recently-blasted areas, sites with poor visibility, or questionable breathability (with an atmospheric sensor on the drone to detect hazardous gasses). Drones can also be used in rescue missions – looking for people, carrying medical supplies, or bearing communications equipment. Drones inspecting areas that are potentially unsafe for employees can cut downtime by 7%, per Arthur D. Little.
Roughly 70% of major mining operators are believed to have trialed drones since 2016.
Better communications help miners breathe easier
Ventilation is another area where a private network can improve safety for miners and increase efficiency. An effective ventilation system can provide cleaner air for workers. More importantly, hazardous gasses are often released after mining operations. Clearing these gasses quickly and reliably minimizes danger to workers and gets them back to work sooner, leading to higher productivity. This “smart ventilation” system requires significant bandwidth, low latency, and high reliability found in private LTE and 5G networks.
Private networks in use around the world
Large OEMs such as Ericsson, Samsung, Huawei, and Nokia, have found significant business installing private LTE and 5G networks in mining operations, often partnering with mining equipment OEMs, mobile network operators (MNOs), mining companies, and system integrators.
Examples of mines around the world using private networks include:
- Nokia and Telefonica deployed a private LTE network at MMG’s Minera Las Bamba copper mine in Peru. Nokia provided hardware, support, and training. The network has push-to-talk and push-to-video and is expected to cut costs and improve safety. Speaking of the new network, Miguel Canz of Minera Las Bambas, said: “This is an important milestone for Minera Las Bambas as it will enable a series of new automation technology solutions increasing productivity in our mining operation as well as supporting more advanced automation to improve worker safety.” MMG is looking to the future, saying “…this innovation will also allow Las Bambas the possibility of implementing other advances in technology in the future, such as augmented reality, digital twins, Industrial internet of things (IIoT) and increased mobility, among others.”
- Ericsson and Canadian integrator Ambra Solutions have teamed up to provide private LTE and 5G networks to mining operations around the globe. As of 2019, they had jointly deployed eight open-air and underground mining facilities in Canada. One, an Agnico Eagle gold mining site in Quebec, will be three kilometers below ground and use the 850 MHz band in the deepest LTE network in Canada. Transitioning from Wi-Fi to LTE to improve costs and safety, Eric L’Heureux, CEO, Ambra Solutions, said, “A single LTE radio can cover up to 6km of tunnel, whereas it would take over 60 active Wi-Fi access points to cover the same area.” Applications expecte to be used include ventilation fan monitoring, remote control operation of machinery, and emergency notification systems.
- Telstra is involved in Newcrest’s Lihir gold mine in Papua New Guinea, having installed an LTE network and connected “every kind of production vehicle asset,” e.g., trucks, shovels, barges, and drills, and note “significant performance improvements already in terms of reliability, speed, and latency.” The private LTE network is entirely separate from any public network and can seamlessly transition between LTE and existing Wi-Fi networks. “Fleet efficiency and real-time visibility have benefited from an 80% improvement in communications reliability on LTE-enabled assets.”
- Huawei has deployed a private 5G network at the Bayon Obo rare earth and iron mine in Inner Mongolia, using it for autonomous driving vehicles, drones, mapping, and data transmission. With driverless mining trucks, the mine saves “roughly one million RMB per year per driver” (US $154, 291). The driverless trucks consist of both mining vehicles and loader trucks.
- Ericsson is deploying an LTE/5G-ready network at the Sheregeshskaya iron mine in Russia. It is used as a pilot area for digital technologies to increase safety, raise equipment efficiency, and improve production. Ericsson will use their Ericsson Dedicated Networks solution, which they describe as “a complete portfolio for local cellular connectivity with 4G and 5G dedicated networks supplying reliable, secure, low latency, and high-performance connectivity tailored to industrial demands.” The network will provide voice, video, positioning, and dispatching and be upgradeable to 5G without significant architectural changes.
The future for mines and private networks looks bright, and deep
According to Mordor Intelligence, the “smart mining” market is expected to triple between 2020-2026, with 25% of mines having autonomous operations and half of all mines connecting their employees to improve safety and raise productivity. It is not only the large mining operations that are investing in private networks – more than half of small mining operations are expected to invest in private networks by 2022. Mining can be expected to see safety rates rise, productivity increase, and margins grow, thanks to private cellular LTE and 5G networks.
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