Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM) is implementing a private 5G network at its Cadia Copper-Gold Mine in New South Wales, Australia, to improve the efficiency of its dozer fleet and enhance worker safety. The mining heavyweight has partnered with Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) to deploy its Private 5G solution, marking the first use of this technology for teleremote dozing in surface mining operations.
The primary reason for the implementation was to overcome the limitations of the existing on-site Wi-Fi network, which struggled to maintain stable connections with more than two machines at a limited range of 100 meters. Ericsson reports the previous Wi-Fi system was unreliable, leading to downtime of up to half of a 12-hour shift for troubleshooting. Ericsson’s 5G technology reduces infrastructure requirements, enabling enterprises to achieve high performance for video-based control and computer vision without extensive spectrum.
Newmont can now connect its entire dozer fleet across a 2.5km construction area using a single 5G radio, achieving uplink throughput of up to 175 megabits per second. This enables the operation of up to 12 dozers and allows workers to move more earth per shift. Chris Twaddle, Newmont’s Director of Process Control, Networks and Operational Cellular, highlights the scalability and performance of Ericsson’s Private 5G network, emphasizing its role in enabling the company’s long-term digital transformation vision for smart mining at its global operations.
