Newmont deploys 5G tech at Cadia mine for efficiency boost

Newmont has introduced private 5G technology to its surface operations at the Cadia gold-copper mine in New South Wales, deploying Ericsson Private 5G to support the world's first remote-controlled dozer fleet powered by the technology.

The gold miner, the largest globally, is using the Ericsson solution to overcome long-standing connectivity issues that limited the productivity and range of its construction dozer fleet under previous Wi-Fi systems.

Located near Orange, Cadia is Australia's largest underground mine and a flagship Tier One asset in Newmont's portfolio. The implementation of private 5G at the site represents a major technological step forward for the company's global operations.

"Ericsson's Private 5G network gives us a scalable and high-performing solution that provides the coverage needed and keeps our people safe," said Chris Twaddle, Newmont's Director of Process Control, Networks and Operational Cellular. "It's also enabling our long-term digital transformation vision to use 5G for smart mining at our Tier One surface and underground mines globally."

Prior to the 5G rollout, Newmont was only able to connect two machines simultaneously via Wi-Fi, and only within a 100-metre range. The network often became unstable, causing significant downtime and disrupting productivity. In some cases, efforts to re-establish connectivity consumed half a 12-hour shift.

By switching to Ericsson Private 5G, Newmont can now operate its entire fleet of dozers across a construction area spanning 2.5 kilometres using just a single 5G radio. The network delivers uplink throughput of up to 175Mbps – sufficient to run up to 12 machines simultaneously – with no communication outages or performance degradation.

The result, according to Newmont, is a substantial increase in safe and productive earthmoving, as well as a more stable and efficient working environment for its operators.

To enable the required uplink performance and coverage, Newmont has deployed Ericsson's 5G Antenna Integrated Radio with Ericsson Massive MIMO (Multiple Input/Multiple Output) technology. This approach allows the miner to leverage mid-band spectrum more effectively than with traditional radios, substantially boosting network capacity and distance.

Further enhancing performance, Ericsson's Uplink Booster feature – part of the Ericsson Silicon microprocessors within the radio units – increases uplink signal strength tenfold, supporting high-bandwidth applications such as remote control operations and video feedback in real time.

Commenting on the partnership, Manish Tiwari, Head of Enterprise 5G, Enterprise Wireless Solutions at Ericsson, said the deployment highlighted how 5G technology could transform industrial operations.

"The deployment with Newmont at Cadia demonstrates the power of 5G for industry, where Ericsson's industry-leading radio portfolio can reduce the amount of infrastructure that needs to be deployed and operated to cover an industrial site or area," he said.

"This also allows enterprises to use private 5G networks they own to achieve high levels of performance for advanced video-based control and computer vision initiatives without large amounts of spectrum. This is especially valuable to organisations that are operating in spectrum-constrained markets."

The deployment forms part of Newmont's broader digital transformation strategy, which includes implementing advanced automation and connectivity across its global operations. With the success at Cadia, the company is expected to explore similar 5G implementations at other major sites around the world.