Nokia, CENGN and NORCAT to power mining
innovation with private wireless network

Nokia announced that it has joined forces with CENGN
and NORCAT to install and operate a private LTE/4.9G wireless connectivity
network in NORCAT’s Underground Centre. NORCAT and CENGN will serve as a hub
for the future of mining technology, while Nokia furthers its commitment
towards advancing worldwide mining innovation.

The three parties have collaborated to deploy network
connectivity at the NORCAT Underground Centre. NORCAT enables start-ups,
small/medium enterprises and international companies to develop, test and
demonstrate innovative and emerging technologies in their operating mine. It is
a destination for miners from around the world to see, train on and understand
emerging technologies that are poised to transform the global mining industry.

The Nokia Digital Automation Cloud will provide a high
bandwidth, low-latency private LTE wireless network to support mission-critical
communication services, asset tracking and remote-controlled autonomous
vehicles. As opposed to legacy wireless technologies, such as Wi-Fi,
industrial-strength LTE/4.9G wireless provides true mobile coverage and
supports a larger amount of active connections per access point with far
greater reliability and security. With this network, NORCAT’s tech clients,
utilizing the NORCAT Underground Centre, will have the ability to develop, test
and demonstrate emerging technologies, such as private radio services and
autonomous vehicles, to create safer, more productive and efficient mines.

Nokia is a leader in providing the next generation of
wireless technology to the mining community as it embraces digitalization as
part of Industry 4.0 transformation. Working with mining industry partners
Komatsu and Sandvik, Nokia’s private LTE/4.9G and 5G networks now power
autonomous haulage and IoT solutions for the mining industry around the world.

Don Duval, CEO, NORCAT, said: “The NORCAT Underground Centre
provides our global mining technology clients with a state-of-the-art operating
mine that serves as an ‘active laboratory’ to develop and showcase new mining
technology innovations. Private LTE is a big step forward for the industry, and
the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud as a platform within the Underground Centre
will enable the exploration and creation of innovative solutions for mining.”

Jean-Charles Fahmy, CEO, CENGN, said: “This is an important
milestone for the global mining industry. We’re looking forward to providing
our technical expertise and access to our network testbed as we all work
together to develop new digital transformation use-cases and emerging
technologies to drive and accelerate mining innovation.”

Stephan Litjens, General Manager, Nokia Digital Automation,
said: “As part of our commitment to the global mining industry, we are proud to
work closely with CENGN and NORCAT to explore the deployment possibilities of
our next-generation wireless solution to advance mining technology and
practices. With LTE today, and 5G tomorrow, we will enable a new era of
industrial-grade wireless communication that will facilitate improved
productivity, worker safety and environmental sustainability for mines around
the world.”

Nokia has deployed over 1,300 mission-critical networks with
leading customers in the transport, energy, large enterprise, manufacturing,
webscale and public sector segments around the globe. Nokia has also pioneered
the private wireless space with many verticals, and now has over 130 large
enterprise customers deploying private wireless networks in their industrial
premises around the world.

Source: Nokia media announcement