James Cameron's Avatar paints a dark vision of mining's future in which sophisticated remote operations technologies are used to ruthlessly exploit a vulnerable community's heritage and natural resources. Companies operating at the leading edge of 5G say advances in connectivity will actually make underground mining safer and greener than ever before.

The last 12 months saw an acceleration in underground 5G pilots around the globe as companies facing COVID-19-related travel restrictions and supply chain issues sought out actionable, future-proof remote working solutions.

Nokia and AngloGold Ashanti conducted an underground mining trial using a 5G stand-alone (SA) industrial-grade private wireless network in Colombia last September that used the network to handle mission-critical communications, connectivity and remote teleoperation of vehicles, as well as inspection and monitoring with drones and high-definition cameras.

Nokia deployed an industrial-grade 5G private wireless network there which provides ultra-wideband connectivity, with speed in excess of 1Gbps and with scope for ultra-low latency. The network was powered by the latest Nokia AirScale 5G portfolio in the 3.5 GHz spectrum band with the support of Tigo Colombia.

Russian producer Nornickel also last May tested a private LTE/5G in cooperation with Nokia, Ericsson, Huawei, MTS, and Megaphone.  The testing was conducted at Skalisty, the deepest mine in Eurasia, at 875 m using 1.8GHz—2.6GHz frequencies for LTE and 28 MHz for 5G. The system was able to run high-precision machine guidance and employee condition monitoring systems, as well as push-to-talk solutions and intelligent video analytics.

Such pricey 5G trials are often pitched to shareholders on the basis of benefits in efficiency and productivity -a 2020 study from Nokia and tech consultancy Omdia found that 5G technology indeed has the potential to generate up to US$9 billion in productivity improvements in Latin America alone by 2035. However, it is also clear that the technology will have a transformative effect on safety.

"Reliable communications are a key requirement to provide safety in mining environments where people and machines are working together. If the network fails, operations may be interrupted or halted," says Jaime Laguna, head of Nokia's mining business.

"5G is all about providing situational awareness, which is a factor that can enhance the current Collision Avoidance Systems by providing location awareness of machines and people and connecting the overall data needed for dangers and alarms," he adds.

Beyond AR

Another critical area safety of safety being enabled by 5G is the use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to remove humans from dangerous underground conditions.

For instance, AR/VR systems may be used to train workers and give them real-time information or enable maintenance staff to fix problems fast, with guidance on AR glasses to taking them step by step to a rapid resolution of the issue.

"Underground mining could be the perfect work environment for AR or VR, as it is one of those truly 3D work environments," says Sean Keenan, Global Natural Resources Research Lead at Accenture.

"The miners are looking at the orebody from the inside, not just a 2D plan at the surface.  Mining occurs at many locations and elevations, often starting from the deeper levels first.  Mine development heading maps, with corkscrew-like declines, wobbly headings, cross-cuts, stopes, and ventilation rises, are almost impossible to print on a single sheet.  Equipment is moving and drilling everywhere, above and below, and often cannot be seen or heard".

Keenan says that AR can give miners that visibility as to what is around the corner or above them in the confined spaces with poor visibility inherent with underground operations.

"With good survey data, it could give miners better control of moving equipment or drillers insight as to where their holes are headed.  Good monitoring sensors could give miners warnings about hazardous rock or gas conditions.  With 5G connectivity in the mine, the framerate and amount of virtual data that can be televised to the user's eyewear or windshields become virtually limitless".

Companies say linking these systems to complex, 3D digital twins of underground mines is the next logical step.

Colliding worlds

Although AR is only in its infancy in underground mining usage, some miners are looking even further beyond it - to the virtual world of the metaverse. Still almost an ethereal term, the metaverse is used to describe the network of 3D virtual worlds being developed by various cutting-edge web and social network developers.

"When we talk about creating a CNS (central nervous system) for a mine using a digital twin, we are talking about joining the metaverse," says Peter Burman, programme manager of Mine Automation at Swedish miner Boliden. "At the moment, this may seem like something for the ‘blue-sky department, but only 5G can create a perfect representation of a mine in the metaverse."

"If you have a digital twin in the metaverse, only then can we move over to this blend between VR, AR and the real world."

Boliden has been a trailblazer in 5G deployments - and has been running underground trials since 2016.  The Sustainable Intelligent Mining Systems (SIMS) project partners Boliden and Ericsson, together with the telephone company and mobile network operator Telia, and involved in the deployment of what they state is the world's first 5G network using New Radio (NR) in an operational underground mine - the network has been deployed at Boliden's Kankberg mine.

He adds that the process of getting the balance right between the digital and the real-world will not be simple, especially as the two blur in other-worldly underground atmospheres. And safety is a prime example of an area where mining needs to get right.

"If you have a good positioning service, a good 3D representation, and you are looking through your Google Glass at a fire, for example, you see less and less of the real world, and more the of the digital. Similarly, in your perfect positioning service, and you're moving ahead, for example, in a car, then what you will see in your Google will more transform into the digital representations of the mine."

"Perhaps you can't see with your eyes, but your radar system will tell you where you are, and it needs to be seamless," Burman adds that Boliden has already conducted trials of using AR to help drivers navigate through mines filled with artificial smoke.

"So when you talk about augmented reality, that is a tricky one. Is it 90% real-world and 10% digital representation, or is it the vice versa?"

Roadblocks ahead?

Despite the increased adoption of 5G in recent years and the ambitions towards VR and the metaverse. Some miners still see adoption as an expensive, complex option.

"Connectivity has been difficult to adopt in underground mines, especially remote ones.  Sending communication signals through solid rock is far more difficult than open air.  Many mines are very deep, often exceeding 1 kilometre in depth, meaning a larger investment in fixed communication infrastructure compared to surface mines.  That's why the automation revolution has taken root in open-pit mines first," notes Keenan.

He adds that underground mines tend to be ‘older' and more profound, with many having been continuously operated for decades, with entrenched infrastructure and equipment. In many cases, it is often hard to justify a new capital investment due to the cost pressures of longer-lived assets.

But this trajectory is starting to shift as more miners glimpse the technology's intrinsic role in enabling automation and improved safety.

According to an IDC 2021 Worldwide Mining Decision-Maker Survey, 86% of mining companies plan to invest in wireless infrastructure in the next 18 months. Most named 5G as their priority because of its lower latency and higher bandwidth, which suggests industry members understand high-performance private wireless networks are essential to fulfilling the promise of Mining 4.0.

"The mining industry overall has been quite conservative in technology adoption and investment in innovation and new technology, but COVID-19 has caused a significant change in how many organisations approach and manage their operations," notes Nokia's Laguna.

"This has created a window of opportunity to accelerate digital transformation - marrying IT and OT, by transforming technology, people and processes".