Ericsson and Ambra expand 5G partnership for mine automation

Ericsson and Ambra Solutions have announced a global cooperation agreement to lead automation for the mining industry, providing 5G-ready network solutions to automate ventilation systems, real-time personnel and vehicle tracking, and remote control of machinery like LHDs, haul trucks, drills and other mining equipment.

Ambra has selected Ericsson as a radio partner of choice, with the 5G-ready Ericsson Radio System portfolio enabling Ambra, a turnkey engineering services systems integrator, to simplify network deployments and replace up to 60 Wi-Fi access points with a single Ericsson solution, it said.

Eric L’Heureux, CEO, Ambra Solutions, said: “We are excited to expand our partnership with Ericsson to a global footprint. The Ericsson products are optimal to deliver the most demanding applications used by the mining 4.0 industry. The reliability of Ericsson products enables more predictable, secure and lower-cost connectivity, and mining companies want to use a reliable product that is available worldwide.”

Mission-critical Private LTE, deployed for Ambra’s mining customers, provides new capabilities and possibilities to cost-effectively enable digitalisation of mining-related tasks for open-pit or underground mines, Ericsson said. “Prior to this modernisation, specialised tasks and applications were difficult or simply impossible to achieve across the entire mining coverage area when using legacy ‘leaky cable’ or Wi-Fi connectivity.”

Shannon Lucas, Head of Customer Unit Emerging Business for Ericsson North America, said: “The global mining industry has been vulnerable to challenges of energy consumption, equipment loss, and human safety. We have designed an easy-to-use cellular connectivity solution to address these issues and deliver efficiency through digital transformation, while creating a path to 5G.

“Ambra will sell this solution as part of its portfolio and will partner with Ericsson customers (global service providers) to deliver it, which opens up exciting new opportunities and revenue streams for the service provider.”

Ericsson and Ambra partnered last year to deliver the world’s deepest underground LTE network for the Agnico Eagle mining complex, LaRonde Zone 5, in Abitibi, Quebec, Canada. Located 3.5 km below the surface, the mission-critical private network provides data and voice services across the LaRonde mine site and enables several internet of things (IoT) use cases to improve safety and mining operations. Since then, several applications have been deployed using Ericsson solutions to deliver automation of ventilation systems, real-time personnel and vehicle tracking and remote controlling of machinery like LHDs, haul trucks, drills and other mining equipment.

Agnico said recently that it was looking to expand this 5G network in the ramp area from level 269 to surface and at LaRonde 3.