Nokia, Telefónica Peru partner for copper mine LTE

Nokia and Telefónica Peru have signed a contract with MMG to enable digitalisation and automation projects at its Minera Las Bambas operation, the world’s ninth-largest copper mine site, in Apurimac, Peru.

The contract will involve building and deploying a private LTE network 4600 metres above sea level, then perform an assessment of the mine applications in order to begin services migration to the new network.

The contract includes planning the site’s capacity and providing technical support for the next five years.

Nokia will deploy its LTE Radio Access Network solution, including base stations, technical support and training services to enable communications between machines and people.

The new network will improve the existing wireless service, allowing Las Bambas to deploy additional safety solutions and reduce the operating costs of its TETRA communication system.

As the network evolves further towards 5G, the mine will also benefit from push-to-talk and push-to-video.

“This is an important milestone for Minera Las Bambas as it will enable a series of new automation technology solutions increasing productivity in our mining operation as well as supporting more advanced automation to improve worker safety,” said Miguel Canz, Regional Technology Manager at Minera Las Bambas.

“We’re working closely with Minera Las Bambas to provide an end-to-end connectivity solution for their operation that allows them to focus on their core business, while we care for the connectivity,” added Dennis Fernández, B2B VP at Telefónica Peru.

Image courtesy MMG.