12 October 2022
Internet connectivity continues to grow in Southern Asia, with the highest Internet penetration in the Asia-Pacific region. The number of people using the Internet increased from just 31 percent in 2020 to 69 percent in 2021. Mobile broadband has improved in recent years in the region, but 1.1 billion people are still not using mobile Internet despite having access to mobile broadband coverage. With vast populations across Southern Asia, many industries operate across disparate, remote areas and suffer from typically poor, limited, or zero coverage by existing cellular 3G/4G services. 3G and 4G coverage addresses most of the population, with the shift to 5G coming to fruition in the years ahead. Southern Asia has seen tremendous growth in smartphone adoption, and despite data becoming more intrinsically more affordable, the cost of Internet-enabled devices has increased due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Mike Foletti, Sales Director – APAC for Rajant Corporation
As Southern Asia and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole look to welcome new innovative smart technologies and Internet adoption grows, the benefits of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) can be unlocked. IIoT facilitates the growth of connected devices and equipment, increasing the significant amount of data and communications being transmitted. If this technology is correctly harnessed and implemented, it can unleash the full potential of a host of industry verticals and present innumerable opportunities. New technologies being introduced into the market also benefit the South Asian economy and ensure that all people receive access to reliable and ubiquitous connectivity, with the intention that no one gets left behind.
Unlocking the benefits of mining
One of the industries set to benefit tremendously from the latest innovative technologies and connectivity is mining. Southern Asia is rich in petroleum, coal, iron, copper, lead, and gold. The likes of coal are still a fuel source in power generation that will continue to dominate the market over the next five or six years. Environmental conditions in Southern Asia have intensified due to the effects of global warming. This involves the likelihood of heightened temperatures, enhanced risk of cyclones, and rising sea levels. This is compounded by typically diverse geographical environments, including unforgiving and exposed terrain in the form of rainforests, deserts, and glaciers surrounded by three water bodies, the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal. There are also many challenges to overcome, including how to effectively and successfully deploy a communications system to monitor equipment, improve safety, and decrease costs.
Mining technology has advanced considerably to help ease the challenges, such as navigating hazardous mine areas and keeping all personnel safe across a vast environment. However, these high-value machines and vehicles do not entirely negate the risk that mining presents. With IIoT technology enabling the likes of automated machinery, data analytics, and surveillance systems, mining operators have the opportunity to thrive in the age of Industry 4.0 and build the digitalised mine of the future.
Limited coverage can slow growth
There is no shortage of network choices for industrial enterprises today. But almost all fall short of effectively connecting expansive and ever-moving outdoor operations with dynamic connections to personnel, vehicles, and equipment. The two most common options are LTE and Wi-Fi. However, private LTE networks, infrastructure, and deployment costs are prohibitive in many Asian price-sensitive markets. The ability to purchase, service, and support complex private LTE networks is also not practical, especially for mining operations that tend to be managed by mining contractors with limited 3-5 year contracts. Historically, mining communications infrastructure is generally supplied by them. While Wi-Fi brings the benefits of high-speeds and the capacity to support an increasing concentration of mobile devices, this land technology is best suited indoors, where the majority of assets are stationary. Numerous access points also have to be introduced to keep sprawling operations covered, in turn, making the network challenging to design for the desired performance needed. The signal can also degrade rapidly when the assets move further away from these access points.
Network interference is also a formidable obstacle. Therefore, coverage drops are commonplace. Operators that deploy LTE to achieve the required performance, have 4G towers that can disperse signals over obstructions to achieve wide area coverage. But LTE cannot reach shadowed areas, such as the bottom of an open-pit mine and radio frequencies cannot travel through common industrial obstructions, such as thick steel or rock. Relocating or adding a tower is a complex, costly, and a time-consuming feat. Data rates also degrade the further assets move from the tower. While 5G may take advantage of higher frequencies to deliver data rates faster than 4G, these data rates have a shorter range and require line-of-sight. This means more towers are needed, increasing deployment and maintenance costs considerably.
“As Southern Asia and the Asia-Pacific region as a whole look to welcome new innovative smart technologies and Internet adoption grows, the benefits of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) can be unlocked”
Self-optimising mesh network
Wireless signals may struggle to travel in a typical mine landscape that can often have varying depths and slopes. This can cause unnecessary expenses for operators due to increased technician visits if the networks lack the resilience in a mine environment. Any downtime in the network can have a detrimental effect on production targets. Having access to instantaneous connectivity is crucial for all operational personnel and their support teams across all corners of a mine.
A mesh network that requires less infrastructure to create more resilient, fully mobile coverage across an industrial environment is desirable for operators, and Rajant Kinetic Mesh® can provide this. Rajant BreadCrumb® nodes work peer-to-peer, holding multiple connections over multiple frequencies at the same time, therefore, maintaining bandwidth as the industrial environment changes. Nodes can be fixed or mobile, and easily deployed on moving equipment to extend coverage in hard-to-reach places, as well as enabling machine-to-machine (M2M) communications.
Rajant InstaMesh® networking protocol intelligently orchestrates traffic over these connections, dynamically assessing and selecting the fastest path for delivery. When faced with signal blockage or interference, it seamlessly redirects traffic over the next best available path allowing the network to self-optimise, making mission-critical mobility possible. With enhanced resilience to overcome even the most adverse conditions, operators can have unparalleled access to the multi-radio high-speed connectivity they desire. The network is ideally placed to meet the industry’s heightened demands and can provide real-time data that increases the visibility of a mine’s asset’s health and performance, and personnel conducting their day-to-day operations.
Navigating high-risk areas soundly
Rajant recently undertook a project with a mining company in Brazil that was faced with the challenge of managing multiple heavy machinery across a vast site without any human operators in the work zone. Tele-operations were required to navigate high-risk dam areas to extract iron ore where multiple dams were at risk of collapse. Placing people in this dangerous situation was to be avoided at all costs.
The remote management of the heavy machinery across the entire topography was met with challenges, such as increased interference that the Rajant network was able to overcome. Seventeen dozers, excavators, loaders, and trucks were consequently remotely operated seamlessly from the safety of a central command station.
The teleoperation software and controls were provided by NEVIL ELETRO MECANICA of Brazil, leveraging SITECH Brazil’s integration and engineering expertise and Rajant’s industrial wireless network.
Prework to ready for teleoperation was done by programmed drones that surveyed the topography. Collected terrain data was loaded onto machines, such as dozer and motor graders, to perform tasks at a distance of up to 23 kilometers away. Enhanced safety and productivity were the overall benefits following the network deployment. Downtime and risk were eliminated, and the project continues to progress with the site being operational 20 hours a day for six days a week.
Mining success
The gains experienced in Brazil are not just limited to Southern Asia mining operations. Large agriculture plantations are becoming more commonplace in the region and deliver significant revenues for Southern Asian countries. As they rapidly deploy and adopt sophisticated harvesting and monitoring equipment solutions, they need dynamic wireless networks that will eventually support autonomous operations. These industries include palm oil, sugar cane, and rubber plantations.
To fill the gaps left by LTE and Wi-Fi, a robust and resilient wireless network is available. Whether tele-operation or autonomy is required to effectively monitor assets in motion and communicate in real-time, Rajant is the IIoT solution. In both open-pit and underground environments, having access to unfailing connectivity is paramount. By utilising Kinetic Mesh, all technologies can be supported, allowing operators to capitalise on the new era of digitalisation that promises immense potential.
