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Edzcom , in partnership with Nokia , designed , built and operated the private 4.9G / LTE wireless connectivity at Boliden Kevitsa using Nokia industrial-grade private wireless technology to implement and deploy a 100 % local and geo-redundant core network
designing , building and operating the private 4.9G / LTE wireless connectivity at Boliden Kevitsa using Nokia industrial-grade private wireless technology to implement and deploy a 100 % local and geo-redundant core network . It brought in a single point of contact to design , build and operate a tailored network , deploying best practices and technologies to help Boliden Kevitsa achieve its digitalisation goals , Laguna said .
Phase 1 provided private wireless coverage to the whole 14 sq . km outdoor mining area , connecting facilities , vehicles and drilling equipment . The initial network deployment also provided basic coverage for the indoor facilities .
Phase 2 extended coverage to all the buildings and facilities at the Boliden Kevitsa mining site – with indoor and outdoor fully integrated .
“ No matter where one is at the site , there is seamless connectivity ,” Laguna explained . “ Every employee in the area is fully connected . The network will be able to support future critical communications needs and use cases enabling Boliden Kevitsa to keep benefitting from wireless connectivity for a broad range of mission-critical and safety-critical applications .”
Underground in northern Finland , Nokia is helping Agnico Eagle Finland accelerate its automation journey .
As part of a collaborative project with Telia and Digita , Nokia will help build what will become one of the first 5G networks in an underground mine over the course of this year at the Kittilä gold mine
The Kittilä mine has piloted autonomous and remotely controlled machinery over several years , but by building a private 5G network , it can take new development steps into the future , Laguna said .
The Nokia 5G SA private wireless network , based on the Nokia Modular Private Wireless ( MPW ) solution , will incorporate Nokia 5G RAN AirScale base station technology and critical edge computing capabilities , together with the Nokia Compact Mobility Unit-based 5G core . The
network will be deployed in phases and is expected to be completed in October 2022 .
Tommi Kankkunen , General Manager of the Kittilä mine , said : “ An independently operating 5G network enables utilising new types of mining technologies . Providing us with a private , internal network at the mine , it simultaneously improves occupational safety and operational reliability .”
These are not the only innovative Nordic-based partnerships the company is involved in .
In 2020 , the company announced that Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology would deploy a Nokia 5G SA industrial-grade private wireless network at its test mine in Tampere , Finland , with the 5G standalone network used to enhance communications and connectivity at the facility – a real-life mining environment where Sandvik tests , develops and prototypes mining solutions for its customers worldwide . This is also the location where Nokia , Cellcom and Telia , earlier this year , started a demonstration of Nokia ’ s next-generation 5G Edge Slicing technology . This technology , which will be tested on different mining equipment and digital applications , is expected to allow operators to offer their enterprise customers next-generation , secure , reliable and high-performing Virtual Private Network services over commercial 4G and 5G networks .
And , along similar lines , the company , recognising the potential of faster network coverage for unlocking efficiencies in mining for improved productivity , safety , environmental sustainability and global competitiveness , has teamed up with VTT and Sandvik in a 5Gpowered research project on next generation underground mining technology .
Accelerating automation at Aitik
In a recent blog post , Ericsson ’ s Filip Mestanov , Industry & Ecosystem Manager , Mining , and Kirstin Sym-Smith , Director of Business Development , Mining Industry , Ericsson North America , presented an example of where leading Nordic-based innovation is being used within the region to highlight the benefits of state-of-the-art communications technology on mine automation .
Ericsson has taken a role in the autonomous truck project at Boliden ’ s Aitik copper mine in Sweden , where a fleet of 11 Komatsu 930-5
electric drive mining trucks is being fitted with Komatsu ’ s FrontRunner AHS technology .
The authors stated : “ Too often , what ’ s limited growth of automation in the industry is not necessarily the will or the technology itself , but the communications infrastructure . The networks powering and linking the automated devices and processes need to be robust , secure and powerful – latency , especially , is a critical factor in a high-stakes business .
“ Aitik is Sweden ’ s largest open-pit copper mine . There , ore is mined around the clock and the mine ’ s operator , Boliden , has a long collaborative history with Ericsson as they ’ ve pushed the boundaries of digitisation . Boliden has a reputation as a company for being very efficient , and as being early adopters of a digitalisation strategy , but the company knows they need to continue to innovate to stay ahead of competitors .”
The AHS deployment is a result of a two-year planning process , which is expected to help Boliden increase productivity , decrease operating costs and optimise asset utilisation , all while improving safety .
The collaboration between Boliden , Ericsson and Komatsu is the first between the three companies in Europe and , when fully up and running , will be the first of its kind in the European Union .
The authors continued : “ The first step on the road to automation is the right network , and here Boliden turned to Ericsson Private Networks . In this instance , the decision to employ a single , purpose-built , private LTE network provided the reliability , capacity and resiliency the mine operator needed to enable intelligent automation . Private networks help provide the robust prioritisation controls needed to ensure that the most critical traffic is always a priority on the network . They can also help create more predictable data traffic flows by prioritising critical traffic to the network , leaving things like sensors or less critical functions to Wi-Fi or other connectivity solutions .”
The article states that earlier Wi-Fi-based networks at Aitik were stretched to the limit as the operator began its digital journey , with the shared spectrum solution often being subject to interference .
The constant elevation changes in an open-pit mine made reliable connectivity difficult to maintain and required the constant addition of new access points – causing disruption not only in the network but in the business itself .
“ To increase productivity through automation , there has to be reliable connectivity and less disruption to communication ,” the authors said . “ Machines that aren ’ t connected cannot work as efficiently and aren ’ t aware of their surroundings . This kind of connectivity becomes critical
38 International Mining | MAY 2022