Cloud Hosting

The smart mine is the mine of the future.

The global mining equipment market is expected to grow to $125.7 billion by 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% from 2021-2025, driven by increased adoption of smart technologies like automation and remote-controlled machinery. Thats a sign that companies know digitalization in mining is the future.

But all the new use cases and exciting smart technologies have one thing in common they need to be powered by fast, reliable, and secure connectivity solutions. And it wont be enough to simply connect these devices to wireless (or fixed) broadband. The right kind of connectivity, and the right kind of network, purpose-built for a rugged environment like mining, is critical to achieving the efficiency and safety results a smart mine can bring. In addition, mining companies are being squeezed by some of the labor and supply chain issues facing nearly every industry today, creating pressure to cut costs and get more ore from existing mines.

Mining companies are justifiably excited about technologies like automation, mixed reality, digital twinning, and more. They have the potential to create operational efficiencies, save money and time on repairs by making maintenance smarter, and increase safety by taking human workers out of dangerous situations. But all this cutting-edge technology wont help if its not connected by the right kind of network.

Demand for things like the rare minerals needed to make todays high-tech devices is fueling the growth of whats already a $500 billion global industry in mining.

To meet these needs, mining operators need a cellular network built specifically for their use cases of today and tomorrow. A commercial LTE network, designed for consumer traffic that consists mainly of video and data download, doesnt have the same high security, flexibility, and upstream traffic needs to handle the demands of an industrial environment like a mine. A few examples:

All of these factors will be important considerations for mine operators as they bring connectivity to more aspects of the mine and introduce new technologies to make operations smarter, safer and more efficient. Its an exciting time for the industry, but this digitalization in mining needs to rest on the bedrock of a robust and reliable connectivity solution. The connected mine of the future needs more than a connectivity platform thats good enough. An industrial LTE network, purpose-built for the needs of a mine, can be the enabler for a productive and valuable digital transformation.

At the Boliden Aitik mine, private networks enable automation

How smart, sustainable mining is reshaping the industry

Accelerating mining safety and smart mines with limitless connectivity

See original here:

Digitalization in mining starts with right network - Ericsson