m3connect, a provider of wireless connectivity, recently reached a milestone with the installation and testing of a private 5G network in an open-cast mine belonging to Nivelsteiner Sandwerke and Sandsteinbrüche GmbH in Herzogenrat, Germany.

This study was commissioned by the Institute for Advanced Mining Technologies (AMT) at RWTH Aachen University and aims to evaluate the suitability of a 5G campus network for the wireless connectivity of open-pit mines. The knowledge gained will serve as a basis for the upcoming integration of self-driving and emission-free tipper trucks with electric motors as part of the “ELMAR” research project.

The results of this site survey open up new horizons for the mining industry, m3connect says. The use of a reliable and powerful private 5G network enables area-wide wireless connectivity, even under the most demanding conditions of raw material extraction. This not only opens up the possibility of efficient control and monitoring of self-propelled dump trucks, but also offers enormous potential for the digitalisation of work and safety processes, as well as productivity optimisation.

The “ELMAR” research project at RWTH Aachen University has an objective of integrating the use of electric heavy mining machinery in the domestic extractive industry and demonstrate its utility. It sees the integration of zero-emission dump trucks marks a significant step towards an environmentally friendly and efficient mining industry, with the successful 5G site survey in Reallabor Nivelstein representing a decisive step forward on this journey, m3connect says.

m3connect says it and the AMT are confident the findings of this survey will serve as the basis for the implementation of a robust 5G campus network in resource extraction.