Telia, Boliden and Ericsson have together built a 5G network in Boliden's mine in Kankberg, Sweden. The network, which is the world's first underground based 5G New Radio (NR), will be used to further develop solutions for automated and sustainable mining.
Mining breaks high demands on productivity and safety and therefore the customized network has the ability to function independently so that operation in the mine can continue even if communication to the mine should be broken.
5G technology has many advantages over other communication solutions when connecting in demanding environments such as mines and manufacturing, where continuous operation and careful monitoring of processes is necessary. With features such as short response time and the possibility of local data management, 5G is the optimum technology to meet the mine's need for a safe working environment and high efficiency.
The collaboration takes place within the framework of Telia's 5G partner program and the EU project Sustainable Intelligent Mining Systems (SIMS) and builds on multi-year collaboration to identify requirements, develop solutions, and demonstrate and test the technology in the mining environment.
