As global electrification and the shift to clean energy accelerate, demand for critical minerals is soaring. Consumption of lithium, copper, and nickel is expected to nearly triple by 2030.1 Mining companies face mounting pressure to increase output while maintaining safety, sustainability, and efficiency.
As operations embrace smart mining— driven by automation, autonomous equipment, and real-time data to cut downtime, enhance safety, and optimize energy use—connectivity becomes mission-critical. But to succeed, operations require secure, industrial-grade connectivity that performs reliably in even the harshest environments.
Ericsson Private 5G delivers high bandwidth, low latency, and reliability needed to power these advances across surface and underground operations.
Industry pressures demand new solutions
Historically, the mining industry has taken a cautious approach to adopting new technologies. Limited financial incentives and complex regulatory requirements made large-scale innovation less common. Today, however, rising productivity demands, a heightened focus on safety, and increasingly complex operations are accelerating the need for advanced tools and systems.
A key motivator behind technology adoption is the need to boost output from existing mine sites. To achieve this, many companies are deploying autonomous haulers, drills and excavators, while also connecting assets across operations to streamline processes. These investments are already yielding clear gains in efficiency and return on investment.
Mining environments often places workers in potentially hazardous environments. Innovations in automation and remote control are helping to reduce worker exposure by enabling equipment to be operated from safer, off-site locations. Coupled with stronger safety regulations and a long-standing commitment to worker protection, these technologies are contributing to steady, ongoing improvements.
As mines become more intricate and production goals more ambitious, the need to modernize intensifies — without compromising reliability, safety, or cost control. Those evolving challenges are increasing demand for systems that offer real-time visibility, predictive maintenance, and remote operational capabilities.
Profitability in mining hinges on continuous efficiency gains — especially in ore extraction and transportation. However, incremental improvements are delivering diminishing returns, and new environmental regulations are driving up operating costs. As a result, many companies are turning to automation as the most effective path to reduce costs while maintaining high performance.
Advancing toward Mining 4.0
To remain competitive, mining companies are embracing Mining 4.0 — deploying new methods to extract, transport, and process materials more efficiently. Partnerships with OEMs are accelerating the use of autonomous trucks, load-haul-dump vehicles, and drill rigs that boost productivity, improve safety, and reduce environmental impact.
These advances require connectivity that performs in remote, rugged environments. Ericsson Private 5G delivers the speed, security, and resilience to power autonomous fleets, connected workers, predictive maintenance, and real-time monitoring — above and below ground.
Private 5G mining ecosystem partners With Ericsson, mining companies gain more than a private network — they access a robust partner ecosystem spanning system integrators, OEMs, device makers, and application developers. From system integrators and device manufacturers to application developers, this collaborative network ensures industrial solutions are fully integrated, tested and ready for development. Together, with this ecosystem, Ericsson delivers the connectivity, automation, and performance needed to accelerate digital transformation across the entire operation.
Mining environments push wireless networks to their limits. Traditional solutions fall short, but private 5G delivers the reliability, coverage, and security needed to power automation and connected worker applications in both underground and openpit operations.
Dense rock and winding tunnels degrade traditional wireless signals. Wi-Fi, mesh, and leaky feeders have long been used, but they lack the reliability, latency, and security required for automation. However, private 5G, operating in low-frequency bands such as Band 5 (850 MHz), delivers better propagation and consistent performance, enabling safe, reliable control of remote and autonomous systems.
Powering the smart mine with Ericsson Private 5G
Mining is becoming smarter, safer, and more autonomous—all enabled by industrialgrade connectivity. A 5G-ready private cellular network delivers the speed, low latency, and performance needed to support dense networks of connected devices and business-critical equipment.
Ericsson’s private 5G delivers the ultrareliable, high-performance wireless foundation mines need to connect workers, machines, and critical operations across the most challenging environments. With unmatched speed, low latency, and resilience across global deployments, Ericsson’s private 5G delivers proven technology that mining operations can deploy with confidence, supporting everything from autonomous haulage fleets and computer vision to underground communications and predictive maintenance. Software-based solutions also allow mining companies to test and scale 5G capabilities cost-effectively, with futureready upgrade paths.
Reference cases
At Newmont’s Cadia mine, Ericsson deployed Enterprise Private 5G to enable tele-remote dozing across a 2.5 km zone with a single radio, replacing unreliable Wi-Fi. The deployment improved safety, reliability, and productivity, prompting Newmont to expand private 5G across 14 global sites for drills, trucks, and graders.
At Agnico Eagle’s LaRonde mine, Ericsson partnered with Ambra to deliver the world’s deepest underground LTE network, located 3.5 kilometers below the surface in Quebec. The private network provides voice and data services while enabling IoT applications that enhance safety and efficiency. Benefits include real-time communication, improved workplace safety, and sustainable operations.
Ericsson’s mobile connectivity solution enabled Boliden to automate drill rigs at its Aitik mine, reducing annual costs by approximately one percent and avoiding the need for two additional rigs. The company is now expanding automation to include fully automated trucks that will optimize transport flow and lower fuel consumption and emissions.
Why choose Ericsson Private 5G for mining
Ericsson’s private networks are purpose-built for industrial transformation, enabling safer, more efficient, and more sustainable mining. The benefits extend beyond productivity to include reduced environmental impact, stronger resilience, and new business opportunities for mining partners and telecom providers.
Through global expertise and a collaborative ecosystem, Ericsson empowers mining companies to adopt smart technologies with confidence — without facing deployment or integration challenges alone.
How we can help
Driving change in mining is complex, but the automation powered by private 5G provides a clear path forward. These technologies address many of the industry’s persistent challenges and play a key role in shaping the future of mining.
