3D-P says it has been selected by Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC)’s Spring Creek Mine in Big Horn County, Montana to deploy, support, and monitor a state-of-the-art wireless network at the world class thermal coal operation. “Our client is utilising our unique Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) offering, giving them access to the safety and productivity advantages of an industrial network without the upfront costs.”

Spring Creek Mine began coal shipments in 1980 with a permitted mining capacity of 36 Mt/y. Current mining involves a single coal seam 80-ft thick. Mining is carried out primarily by dragline operations, with truck/shovel operations utilised to move coal. Spring Creek has been consistently exporting coal to Asia since 2002. The mine currently produces about 15 Mt/y.

For this project, 3D-P is deploying the network infrastructure and providing the client device, which in this case is its ruggedised Hybrid LTE/InstaMesh® Osprey, a variant of its Intelligent Endpoint (IEP) data radio. “This LTE/InstaMesh® combination allows for critical connectivity, extending the coverage and performance of the network by fully leveraging the benefits of a true meshing solution.”

Additionally, this project allows the mine to utilise LTE technology in the future as the Osprey roams seamlessly from LTE to Wi-Fi/mesh. “This IEP is a critical component of our Network Performance Analysis Toolkit (NPAT), allowing us to monitor the network to ensure high performance, throughput and uptime. Our NaaS solution delivers the level of wireless network performance our clients need to achieve their production objectives, effectively providing them with a state-of-the-art network that is affordable and within budget.”