Convergencia Research, Consultoría especializada en Latinoamérica y Caribe
Thursday, December 17, 2020

Codelco, Nokia and the Chilean Government present the first 5G pilot in mining

The ministries of Transport and Telecommunications, and Mining, the National Copper Corporation (CODELCO), Nokia and PSINet created the "Integrated Strategic Operations Center" (CIO-E) of the state mining company. A 5G antenna and a high definition camera were installed to interpret images from a distance and provide data for subsequent analysis and process optimization.

The antenna was located in the primary crusher, the area where trucks dump the material they bring from the pit to decrease its size so that it can be moved through the conveyor belt to the stacker. From there, the CIO-E received in real time all the information from trucks (license plate, operator in charge, time each unit takes to carry out its task and waiting periods).

“We are working to facilitate the conditions so that the different industries can learn about this technology closely so that they can adopt it when it is available. The 5G development will contribute to the productivity of Chile,” affirmed the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Gloria Hutt. Meanwhile, her mining counterpart, Baldo Prokurica, highlighted: “This 5G connection in Codelco's Radomiro Tomic division is a historic milestone for Chilean mining, because it means that the country's main industry is opening up to the new world of artificial intelligence, which will allow faster access to data and analysis to improve processes, increase productivity, and move towards a safer activity.”

The Undersecretary of Mining, Iván Cheuquelaf, celebrated the installation and described it as "a concrete fact to advance towards what we are proposing in the National Mining Policy 2050, that is, these new technologies are enabling us to achieve the main objective that is the sustainable development and moving towards mining 4.0.”

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