Active Control Technology (ACT) has a new purchase order for ActiveMine, a premier wireless voice communications and tracking system for mines. The system will be installed at an underground coal mine in Illinois that plans rapid growth and long-term operations. The initial installation, scheduled for April 2009, will be the first commercial ActiveMine deployment in Illinois.ActiveMine wireless Wi-Fi network equipment will be installed in all operating areas of the mine and in tunnels linking the network to the surface. Initial requirements will include network equipment and handsets, with tracking capability to be added later.

“Our new customer selected ActiveMine because of the productivity gains it makes possible,” said Steve Barrett, President and CEO, Active Control. “We look forward to contributing to their success through ActiveMine’s excellent voice quality, high speed broadband capability, and plug-and-play installation.”

Deployment of the system is subject to MSHA approval of ActiveMine’s wireless Wi-Fi telephones. Certification of the phones – the final stage of MSHA approvals for ActiveMine – is expected soon. Active Control partner Fairmont Supply Company provided the initial customer contact that led to the purchase order.

The ActiveMine communications, data and tracking system enables monitoring of production, personnel and equipment in all types of surface and underground mining environments, including coal and hard rock mines. ActiveMine says it “is positioned to bring to mining what the Internet brought to the world.” The system is designed to:

• Provide the world’s first standards-based Wi-Fi + IP network for the underground mining industry with a 54Mb wireless backhaul
• Provide full duplex, clear voice communications and tracking as required by law in US underground coal mines
• Provide ample bandwidth to move existing legacy applications onto a single standards-based network, eliminating multiple proprietary networks
• Enable the deployment of an unprecedented array of new IP-based applications in mines – applications that are not possible with current proprietary and antiquated wired networks
• Enable the deployment of any Wi-Fi device in mines, thereby driving the availability of new devices, controlling costs, and freeing mine operators from being locked into proprietary technology.