Safety technology Streamlining communications

First, does the network cover every operational point on the site? Second, how much radio traffic will there be based on users, and how many talk groups, operational teams, control rooms and so on will you be operating?

This is crucial to understanding how much infrastructure you require and where it should be positioned.

and so on. If the network is down, operations cease and this affects profit.

How important is the choice of technology for the customer?

Mine often span thousands of hectares of the Australian landscape, and these sites need reliable communications solutions. Safe to Work spoke to two key suppliers to get an inside look at what sites should consider when implementing new solutions.

Ronan Rafferty recently joined Sepura as country manager for Australia. Sepura is a proven supplier of TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) and LTE (Long-Term Evolution) radios, trusted in mining around the world. Mark Wood is the sales director at DAMM, a partner of mining organisations and a provider of the private TETRA network infrastructure to power critical communications.

What factors should be considered when a planning a critical communications network?

MW: Two of the obvious elements to consider are coverage and capacity.

RR: Reliability is crucial. Thought must be given to the environment where radios will be used and where infrastructure will be located. Both need to keep working in dusty, hot environments, in heavy rainfall or in flooded areas. The radios need to survive heavy treatment and not be affected by environmental hazards.

MW: Migration is a big element. Users will be used to analogue radios and networks from the early stages of exploring a site. When operations and numbers on site increase, you need to be effortlessly able to upgrade to a more complex network with minimal impact on operations.

What are the key concerns for miners when planning their network?

RR: The two key considerations are staff safety and maintenance of operations.

Staff safety speaks for itself – it is essential to keep everyone safe and aware of any issues on site.

The second main consideration is to ensure that operations always continue. This means the network must always be available, there must be no single point of failure, there must be an emergency communication channel,

MW: It is a key decision for the customer to make. Mining organisations must prioritise safe operations and efficiency – they need a solution that can support this. A TETRA system gives the reliability and coverage that mining organisations require, with proven, robust devices that will work in demanding environments.

RR: Despite being a narrowband technology, TETRA provides powerful safety features, including GPS tracking and resource management capability.

In addition, TETRA is an open standard technology, meaning users have a choice of which supplier they use and can even mix and match their fleets. This enables them to build a solution based around their specific needs.

What innovations will soon be available to support mining organisations?

RR: There has been a lot of excitement in the market about the potential of LTE, utilising 4G/5G or Wi-Fi connectivity to enable powerful data for function such as video streaming and mapping tools.

At present, there is not a missioncritical voice communication solution available over LTE, but the first hybrid solutions, featuring TETRA for mission-critical voice and LTE modules enabling the use of network-intensive applications, are available. This will be the next significant step in the delivery of critical communications solutions.