5G Private wireless deployment in underground mines

The Opportunity for innovation in the mining industry has never been more compelling. Driven by the need to reinvent operations, increase safety, and optimize productivity and efficiency, mining companies have invested strongly in Industry 4.0 solutions in recent years. The rewards of digital transformation and automation can be substantial. Advances in technologies such as the industrial internet of things (IIoT), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR) and extended reality (XR) will enable mining companies to optimize decision making, automate manual processes and eventually replace all manual operations with fully autonomous systems. These advances will also give them the ability to see and effectively track assets and monitor people’s locations and working conditions, all of which are essential for keeping workers safe. To get the best out of these technologies and the digital applications they enable, mining companies need high-performing wireless connectivity in the mining areas. But many mines still rely on legacy networks that weren’t created to address the demands of ultra-broadband and missioncritical use cases. Fortunately, there is a proven network technology that can address these demands. Trusted by mobile operators worldwide, 5G/LTE cellular technology has all the features and characteristics required to enable the vast majority of business-critical and mission-critical mining applications.

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