Nokia is collaborating with Scandinavian mobile operator Telia, and its partner Digita, to build a 5G standalone (SA) private wireless network at the Agnico Eagle mine in northern Finland.
The Kittilä mine is the largest gold producer in Europe, containing almost 4.9 million ounces of gold in reserves that won’t be depleted until 2032. It sits 90 miles above the Arctic Circle and 550 miles north of Helsinki in the country’s Lapland region.
Nokia’s network will be built with advanced Industry 4.0 use cases in mind, supporting operations above and below-ground up to depths of one kilometre.
Kittilä’s tunnel system is to be equipped with sensors and devices to connect people, equipment, and vehicles through a low latency 5G network.
This will also give the mine access to real-time data processing at the network edge, providing avenues for use cases such as autonomous vehicles, instant group communications, and high-precision positioning.
Tommi Kankkunen, general manager of the Kittilä mine, said: “Having already piloted autonomous and remotely controlled machinery in recent years, we chose to work with Nokia, Telia, and Digita to deliver capabilities for the next phase of our digital transformation journey.
“We want to innovate by using the latest technologies and will leverage the Nokia 5G SA private network to enhance operational efficiency and support the highest level of safety for teams working at the mine.”
The network will be deployed in stages with an expected completion date of October 2022. It will be based on the Nokia Modular Private Wireless (MPW) solution, incorporating Nokia 5G RAN AirScale technology and edge computing capabilities, together with the Nokia Compact Mobility Unit-based 5G core.
Stephan Litjens, head of enterprise solutions at Nokia, added: “This is another great example of how collaboration across the ecosystem is essential for developing winning technology solutions to meet productivity, safety and sustainability targets.
“Nokia industrial private wireless networks provide secure, reliable connectivity to meet the stringent operational demands of today’s mining industry, and 5G enables even greater levels of performance.”
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