Next Generation Mining

Industrial 5G is unlocking efficiency in mines for improved productivity, safety, environmental sustainability, and global competitiveness. These impacts are expected to realize via introduction of next generation mining technology, including autonomous connected machinery, digital automation, and advanced on-line analytics for situation awareness and control, which enable safety, productivity and sustainability improvements in mining operations. To reach this vision, NG Mining ecosystem needs to develop and build PoC demonstrators to validate integrated connectivity solutions, which are tested in real harsh underground mining environment. Objectives pertaining to 5G network infrastructure cover spectrum usage in underground mining environment, 5G modems integrated in mining machines and user devices, and edge computing e.g. for optimizing video processing. Identified challenging cases include understanding signal behavior in underground environment, harsh environment for HW, and design requirements of underground connectivity network for bandwidth, frequency range, latency, reliability, and scalability. The approach is to engage with key mining segment industrial players and drive experimentation activities together for mining digitalization. The target is to develop a mine compliant connectivity infrastructure, integrate solutions, develop safety and tracking technologies, and AI enablers for safe operation of autonomous machines in underground mines. Possible phases include use case definition for autonomous machines in mining, solution validation via testing platform with 4G/5G wireless capabilities, selection of most value-added results for development and commercialization, and pilot implementations in operational customer mines. Indeed, Finland's unique industry ecosystem enables creation and piloting of technologies, solutions, and business models. The partner ecosystem will grow through challenges and pilots with both Finnish and international customers.