MTN’s 5G mining rollout is making waves in South Africa as the coal industry moves towards a breakthrough digital transformation.
The telecom giant has rolled out 5G operations at more than seven mines in the country, including the Farandwa mine, which became the country’s first 5G-enabled mine this year.
advertisementThe ongoing project in collaboration with 5G leader Huawei aims to improve the safety and efficiency of coal mines in the region, which currently faces major challenges.
The mining sector is a significant part of South Africa’s economy, accounting for 8% of the country’s total GDP, totaling €29.3 billion ($32 billion) and employing 500,000 people.
According to preliminary statistics, 49 workers died last year, and 74 in 2021. The industry also reported 1,946 serious injuries in 2022 and 2,123 in 2021.
As Huawei’s innovative 5G technology gains momentum, cutting-edge safety measures will become part of daily operations, and unnecessary deaths in the mining industry could soon be a thing of the past.
Improving underground safety: Farandwa leads the way
The Farandwa mine operated by Canyon Coal is currently deploying two key solutions to protect mine employees: a 5G video system and a 5G + IoT proximity sensing system.
advertisementWith 5G’s high bandwidth, you can record and watch video systems in high resolution. Captured footage can be compared to images stored in a database using a reverse image search feature to track movement and reduce security risks.
It can also identify license plates and automatically compare them to a registered whitelist to ensure that the vehicle is allowed to enter a secure area.
The solution also includes image management, image analysis, and data analysis to continuously improve accuracy and efficiency.
5G + IoT proximity detection system prevents collisions and sounds an alarm to avoid potential danger.
Additionally, a 5G smart conference network has been introduced at the mine to provide an effective working environment. Plans are also underway for 5G and artificial intelligence systems to improve the efficiency of ore sorting.
Improving work efficiency
Research shows that 5G’s ability to support automation and remote control can increase ore production by up to 25 percent, increase drilling rig utilization by more than 40 percent, and save energy by 20 percent.
In addition to increasing safety, license plate recognition allows movement to be controlled without human intervention, and smart conferencing systems optimize the working environment with teleconferencing equipment, whiteboards, and conferencing tools.
5G + IoT proximity sensing system prevents vehicle collisions and leads to economic savings.
Finally, the introduction of 5G + AI algorithms can realize online intelligent detection of conveyor belts and intelligent sorting of underground ores.
In the unlikely event that the conveyor belt is damaged, it will issue a warning to the relevant parties and help shorten repair time. Intelligent sorting systems use X-ray capabilities to sort ore, efficiently identifying ore grades and reducing waste.
advertisementworld class security
As with any digital system, security is important, and Huawei has taken strict measures to protect its 5G systems from cyber-attacks.
The deployed solutions and services are completely independent and self-contained on a private network, with no interface to the consumer core network. Any operations or failures on the consumer core network will not affect the private 5G network and its local services.
Additionally, the private 5G core is a Huawei Kite L-type solution that protects critical assets with network isolation, data protection, and user authentication.
Network security is also robust with a private mining network, reducing intermediate network links and improving end-to-end latency and bandwidth stability. Private networks support independent operations and enable efficient disaster recovery.
Reliable connectivity is ensured by built-in data protection security that uses virus intrusion detection and enhanced authentication measures to prevent cyber-attacks.
The future of 5G mining
To expand the business, Huawei and MTN have partnered with other development partners, including video surveillance vendors and drone, AR, and AI safety monitoring companies.
To promote widespread commercial use of MTN, Huawei has also developed a 5GtoB online store where application developers and system integrators can access carriers’ 5G network capabilities.
The focus now is on achieving duplication in other mines in South Africa, increasing operational productivity and saving lives on a national scale.
