The Significance of Digitalizing Mines

Metals and Mining Review | Thursday, January 16, 2025

The global market for mining equipment is expanding, and this growth will drive by the rising usage of smart technologies such as automation and remote-controlled gear.

FREMONT, CA: The labor and supply chain challenges affecting practically every industry today, mining businesses are under pressure to reduce expenses and extract more ore from existing mines. This indicates that firms recognize digitalization as the future of mining. But all the new use cases and fascinating smart technologies have one thing in common, and they require connectivity solutions that are quick, dependable, and secure. It is essential to have connectivity and a purpose-built network to achieve the productivity and safety benefits of smart mines in harsh environments like mining.

The mining industry is enthusiastic about automation, mixed reality, and digital twinning technologies. They can generate operational efficiencies, save money and time on repairs by making maintenance more intelligent, and increase safety by removing humans from potentially hazardous circumstances. But this cutting-edge technology is useless if it is not connected to the proper network.

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Traffic priority

A purpose-built, private LTE network enables mine managers to prioritize traffic to vital operations, such as ventilation, in a mine. It is a method for ensuring that the data-intensive portions of a linked mine have the necessary bandwidth to remain operating. It can also improve productivity by using low-capacity systems such as an Internet of Things temperature sensor network differently from a remotely-operated digger.

Low latency

Many of the most intriguing new use cases for digitalization in mining rely on reduced latency, fast speeds, and dependable connectivity. If there is too much delay between the operator and the device, remote operation and VR-assisted maintenance will not function.

Dynamic network

A connectivity solution like Wi-Fi or VHF leaky feeder, which the mining industry has always used for digital power equipment, is insufficient for these novel use cases. In addition to bandwidth and speed requirements, networks in industrial settings must be adaptable, ready to shift as the mine grows or when capacity must provide to a specific region of the facility.

Redundancy

Several interconnected roles in the digitization of mining are crucial to worker safety or the structural integrity of the mine itself. Full redundancy is a significant advantage of an industrial LTE system over a commercial network, guaranteeing that all equipment and systems stay protected. Networks with built-in redundancy also enable operators to maintain critical operational functions during maintenance and upgrades. In addition to providing redundant coverage, these networks are also designed to withstand the extreme conditions inside a mine.

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