MINING NETWORKS & CONNECTIVITY
ecosystem. Private LTE offers a standards-based
solution broadly deployed globally with 99.99%
availability with high resiliency, suitability for WAN
and LAN for mobility unlike P2MP, high device
density for scalability, inherently virtualised and
compatible with Cloud-native and end to end
security and encryption. It also offers a natural
evolution to 5G for mines, which shares these
attributes and offers much more such as
supporting local breakout connections allowing
traffic between end-points minimising latency and
converging connectivity mediums on to one
platform with very high availability of 99.999%
and massive targeted bandwith plus network
slicing capability. Early 5G standards are focussing
on mobile broadband CSP deployments with
expected standards and terminals in 2022.
Today’s Private 4.9G/LTE offers uplink of 300
Mbps and downlink of 1.5 Gbps and can support
85% of industrial applications, including AHS
systems – and for this reason LTE is now
dominating in mines that are using or introducing
AHS fleets. In summary, Nokia industrial grade
private LTE wireless offers a single network for
voice, video, data and IoT applications with
reliable, secure connectivity for operation critical
comms. It also offers 360 degree situational
awareness for remote and autonomous
operations. Mines can now collect and analyse
data from IoT sensors, cameras and drones plus
get full visibility of people, assets and
infrastructure plus monitor all operations in real
time with the ability to respond quickly to critical
events. There is no need for mines to wait for 5G,
private LTE/4.9G is available today and is more
than capable of delivering, while transition to 5G
will be largely seamless.
Moving onto cooperation with Komatsu,
working together the companies say they are
already proving how interoperability works
between networks and platforms by utilising the
power of private LTE wireless already in areas like
drilling and hauling, geofencing and geotracking
and asset lifecycle optimisation at remote,
automated and autonomous operations.
The next step in Nokia's partnership with
Komatsu Mining is installation of a 5G network
at the Arizona Proving Grounds
Then it was over to David Haukeness, Product
Manager AHS at Komatsu who started with a
quote from one of is mining AHS customers: “Our
best day in a manned operation is what we get
every day in an autonomous operation.” He
emphasised that operational excellence in
productivity, efficiency and safety are the key
drivers in all of this for mining not just for the sake
of having new technology.
He then gave an up to the moment update on
its global footprint – it currently has 247
ABSOLUTE MATERIAL FLOW CONTROL
CHUTE SYSTEMS & SOLUTIONS
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Tel: +27 (0) 11 827-9372
email: info@webachutes.com
www.webachutes.com
SEPTEMBER 2020 | International Mining 29