Yancoal Australia has deployed a private mobile network to its Mt Thorley Warkworth operations in the NSW Hunter Valley region, bolstering its ability to track and communicate with vehicles, equipment and personnel across the site.
The company enlisted TPG Telecom and Nokia to deploy the network over 12 months at its Mount Thorley and Warkworth mines, which are adjacent to one another and lie about 15 kilometres southwest of Singleton.
Onsite mobile network coverage at the open-cut coal mines has jumped from 60 percent to approximately 99 percent, Yancoal said in a statement.
ICT general manager Graham Slattery said that stronger connectivity would improve productivity and efficiency by enabling real-time management of Yancoal’s trucks, bulldozers and dragline excavators.
“Improved connectivity means we can track and communicate with our vehicles and equipment in real-time, helping us decrease downtime and improve the efficiency of our fleet," Slattery said.
The miner also intends to use the network to "roll out collision awareness and fatigue management systems across the fleet, further supporting our continuous commitment to safety.”
The low latency network has also enabled Yancoal personnel to upgrade to wireless-enabled devices to securely communicate through its corporate network, removing the risks of in-pit connection dropouts and blackspots previously experienced, Slattery added.
“Given the scale of the open cut environment, high-speed, low-latency coverage in and across the pit not only improves our operational performance but directly increases the immediacy and accuracy of our safety and sustainability reporting," he said.
“Instead of relying on pen and paper, our teams now connect with our corporate network from anywhere on site.”
