AngloGold Ashanti Colombia digs into private network with Nokia, Tigo

South African multinational AngloGold Ashanti is working on a 5G standalone private cellular network to support underground mining automation and digital transformation at its Quebradona mine in Colombia.

The network is being deployed by Finnish supplier Nokia and telecom operator Millicom’s Tigo, in partnership with Swedish mining equipment makers Epiroc and Sandvik, as well as with Colombia's systems integrator OSC Top Solutions.

Four first use cases tested proved potential of 5G for safety, sustainability, automation, productivity and reliability in a challenging underground environment, Nokia said.

These involved mission-critical communications, connectivity and remote operation of vehicles, mining machinery and systems and inspection and monitoring with drones and high-definition cameras.

According to Nokia, the 5G standalone architecture included network partitioning capability, which allows independent virtual networks to be generated for each use case.

To carry out the tests, Nokia AirScale 5G hardware was used in a 3.5GHz band operated by Tigo Colombia. The deployment occurred in the context of the 5G testing framework by Colombia’s ICT ministry.

Epiroc and Sandvik provided the vehicles and mining automation systems, while OSC Top solutions supplied the integration of services and solutions for drone inspection.

The wireless network fits into AngloGold Ashanti’s broader industry 4.0 project.

Andrés López Bermúdez, AngloGold's innovation manager, said in July that one of the key pillars of the project is to reduce the amount of waste in all phases of the mine, seeking the best materials, equipment and technology.

"It is possible to have important technology that changes the logic of mining in the country," he told a virtual press conference. "Technology 4.0 will improve safety, reliability, efficiency, sustainability and will add value to the project."

The company plans to have 20 autonomous and electric vehicles operating at the mine and will test hydrogen vehicles.

Nokia claims to have over 35 mining customers for more than 60 mines globally.

Elsewhere in Latin America, the wireless equipment supplier has publicly disclosed mining projects in Peru, at the Las Bambas mine, and in Brazil, at Vale’s Carajás mine. Both networks are being deployed using Telefónica’s spectrum.

In Chile, Nokia and América Móvil's Claro are deploying a private wireless network for Minera Gold Fields' Salares Norte mine.