Mine comms - maintaining contact

The Nantou zinc mine in Burkina Faso needed a way to give underground workers safe and secure communications with the surface.

Burkina Faso, a west African country near the Sahara, is considered one of the most underdeveloped countries by a lack of natural resources. However, gold production increased by 32% in 2011 in six gold mines, making it the fourth largest gold producer in Africa after South Africa, Mali and Ghana.

The Nantou Zinc Mine is located in the north of Burkina Faso where the greatest threat to safety is the insecure social environment. The company needed an effective communication system they could rely on to protect international visitors and those working at the mine sites.

Hytera worked with its partner in Burkina Faso, International Wireless Ameritel, to help solve this challenge.

The Nantou Zinc Mine.

In order to provide two-way radio coverage (approximately 15-kilometre radius) between the surface and the underground mining facility, the mine wanted to establish a 4-channel radio system so that its operators, engineers and mining experts could communicate with the various services on the surface.

There were also geographical challenges. Burkina Faso borders in the north with the Sahara, where the climate is very dry and the mines are underground. So several geological studies were required as part of the process to ensure a good communications system.

Solutions

The underground Nantou mine was constructed in a curved line, much like an ‘S’, and at each bend, gigantic caverns were built. These bends created blind spots, so in order to avoid signal loss, Ameritel installed switches every 100 metres for signal regeneration, ensuring uninterrupted communications between the site surface and all parts of the tunnel.

In phase one, Ameritel installed a 4-channel Hytera DMR system, linking two RD98X repeaters from the surface via a wireless data system to six other RD98X repeaters inside the tunnel, which allowed them to obtain very clear, seamless communications to 300 metres inside the tunnel. The completed project saw 32 RD98X repeaters and 20 PD70X portable radios with DMR system installed.

Workers at the Nantou Zinc Mine.

Equipped with the Hytera DMR system, Nantou can still use the existing analog equipment by other manufacturers, which they already owned. Workers in the tunnel, cranes, bulldozers, dumpers and in the fields feel more secure with the application of the efficient Hytera system. In fact, all seven mines operating in Burkina Faso are now using Hytera radio equipment.