12 October 2022
The mining sector has historically been slow to respond to new technology, not least because its application can be challenging in the remote, dusty environments typical for mines. However, today, mines stand at the precipice of an exciting era of transformation.
New digital technologies and applications promise to deliver incredible opportunities to improve so many aspects of the mining trade, including performance, production, revenues, safety and welfare, to name but a few.
While the move towards the digital transformation of mines shows great promise, the use of real-time data, cloud-based services and automation is challenging. The remote and highly dispersed nature of the mines themselves means that they often lack access to conventional terrestrial network connectivity. This challenge is key in the modernisation of mining practises, because without that connectivity, the impacts on all areas of mining operations, including but not limited to initial site evaluation, processing, equipment and maintenance, employee safety and welfare, transportation and manufacturing, can be enormous.
An underground challenge
One such mining company looking to enhance its operations and future-proof for shareholders and future projects is Newcrest Mining, one of the world’s largest gold mining companies. Newcrest boasts several operational mines spanning Australia and Canada, and two in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
Newcrest Mining was faced with connectivity challenges that hindered it from driving its business-critical applications at its remote operations on Lihir Island on PNG. Subsea fibre optic cables and microwaves were both determined to be unviable solutions, meaning that Newcrest had to look beyond traditional connectivity means in order to move to the future with the latest use of digital technologies.
An off-world solution
The solution to Newcrest’s Woes came from a partnership between Telstra and SES, who joined forces to provide a cost-effective satellite-enabled connectivity solution and develop new applications and services. Indeed, the partnership enabled the delivery of robust connectivity to empower the digital transformation of the mining operations, as well as to drive improvements in safety and productivity.
The connectivity solution has proven itself already, delivering a 600% increase in bandwidth and a 300% improvement in latency.
Indeed, the combined services of Telstra and SES have completely transformed Newcrest’s mining operations on Lihir Island, a location where access to high-speed connectivity has historically been prohibitively expensive or entire inaccessible. By utilising SES’ O3b constellation of medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites, Newcrest can be assured of reliable, consistent coverage with high-speed broadband connectivity enabling high quality voice, video and data communications. With the solution being MEO satellite technology, the low latency required for the delivery of carrier-grade, cloud-ready services, is guaranteed, with O3b reporting latency as low as 125ms.
The result is that Newcrest can now deploy advanced digital technologies including cloud applications, IoT, SAP, and wire sensors, achieving new efficiencies by streamlining and optimising processes. Moreover, the network enables the real-time transfer of data to speed up decision-making, save time, and improve profitability.
Building morale
The Lihir Island mine is home to some 2,000 employees who regularly spend several weeks away from home at a time. Like all personnel working in potentially dangerous conditions, staff safety and welfare is the top priority for those working in Newcrest’s mines.
With the Telstra-SES solution, Newcrest’s Lihir Island staff can now stay better connected with friends and family back home, which is critical for improving morale and quality of life.
Indeed, recent studies have reported that employee welfare for all staff physically separated from their support network for any significant length of time is improved with the delivery of reliable connectivity solutions. Access to voice, video and web browsing can have a huge positive impact on the mental health and general mood of employees; the ability to reach out to loved ones digitally is of high value among all remote workers, whether they’re based at sea, in the air, or at remote locations. Moreover, high morale has a huge impact on employee retention, a valuable prospect for any employer.
