Trends
Ericsson powers 5G mining breakthrough
What happened: Private 5G drives remote productivity at Australia’s largest underground mine Ericsson has successfully deployed a private 5G network for Newmont’s Cadia mine in New South Wales, enabling teleremote control of heavy machinery in what is claimed to be a world-first use case for large-s…
Headline
What happened: Private 5G drives remote productivity at Australia’s largest underground mine Ericsson has successfully deployed a private 5G network for Newmont’s Cadia mine in New South Wales, enabling teleremote control of heavy machinery in what is claimed to be a world-first…
Context
Ericsson has successfully deployed a private 5G network for Newmont’s Cadia mine in New South Wales, enabling teleremote control of heavy machinery in what is claimed to be a world-first use case for large-scale dozer operations at a surface mining site. The Cadia site is Australia’s largest underground gold-copper mine. This new system replaces a previously unreliable Wi-Fi setup that hindered operational scalability. Under Wi-Fi, Newmont struggled to remotely operate more than two dozers within a 100-metre range before connection instability rendered the equipment inoperable—sometimes leading to operational downtime for up to six hours in a 12-hour shift.
Evidence
Pending intelligence enrichment.
Analysis
Now, with Ericsson’s Private 5G and Antenna Integrated Radio powered by its Massive MIMO technology, Newmont can remotely operate up to 12 dozers across a 2.5km-wide construction zone from a single base station, reaching uplink speeds of up to 175Mbps. This allows for enhanced operational control and increased safety, as workers can manage heavy machinery remotely from secure locations. Chris Twaddle , Director of Process Control at Newmont, stated that the solution “enables long-term digital transformation for smart mining” at its Tier One sites globally. Manish Tiwari of Ericsson highlighted how the deployment showcases the potential for industrial 5G applications, especially in spectrum-constrained environments. Also read: Türk Telekom International adopts BroadForward for 5G signalling Also read: BICS boosts 5G roaming The Cadia deployment marks a significant advancement in applying private 5G for industrial use, especially in sectors with harsh environmental conditions like mining. The shift from Wi-Fi to 5G addresses key operational pain points — notably unstable connectivity and limited equipment range — by offering consistent, scalable and high-bandwidth coverage.
Key Points
- Private 5G enables remote control of dozers across 2.5km at Cadia gold-copper mine
- Marks shift from unstable Wi-Fi to scalable 175Mbps uplink 5G network
Actions
Pending intelligence enrichment.
