Mining activities can be performed on the surface, called open pit mines, or underground. Mining is in most cases highly automated. The number of people out in the field is reduced to a minimum for safety reasons. It is extremely important that the telecom network is operational at all times. In case of a failure, the productions losses pile up and/or people's lives are put in danger.
The network often has to withstand extreme environmental conditions. The equipment can be installed on moving structures, at great heights or in deep, hot and humid places. Vibration, dust, temperature, humidity and altitude pressure are critical factors that need to be considered.
A large open pit mine can span several hundreds of square kilometres and may even have its own railway infrastructure to transport the ores. Underground mines may be up to four km deep and use very specific equipment including seismic measurement instruments. All applications are fed back to the control centre from where the complete process is managed and surveyed.
The first networks of Belden Solutions NV in open pit and underground mines were installed in the early nineties. These networks have been running continuously for more than 20 years. Some networks have grown over the years to more than 400 network nodes.
Some of the leading mining companies around the world currently using our products are:
