INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Cabling

Debswana ’ s Head of Information Management , Molemisi Nelson Sechaba said that the Huawei-enabled smart mine solution has been deployed at Debswana ’ s Jwaneng open-pit diamond mine , and the project started operation in December 2021 .

Huawei ’ s 4G eLTE private network solution provides stable connectivity for the Jwaneng mine , connecting more than 260 pieces of equipment . This enables interconnection between the mine ’ s production , safety and security systems .

It is important to deploy the eLTE solution to connect mining equipment in a stable manner . There are two reasons for this . The first is efficiency . The ability to transfer data in real time makes equipment like mining vehicles more efficient , increasing yield and reducing long-term OPEX . Second , the solution helped improve safety . Real-time data collection , backhaul , and interaction make the system more sensitive and accurate to provide more reliable protection for staff and vehicles .

The Jwaneng mine is the world ’ s first 5G-oriented smart diamond mine . This means the hardware equipment such as base stations used in the mine ’ s digital transformation solution support network upgrades to 5G . 5G features like high bandwidth and low latency can support the application of innovative technologies like autonomous driving , enabling more intelligent digital transformation of the mining industry in the future .

Hon Thulagano M . Segokgo , Minister of Communications , Knowledge and Technology of Botswana , stated that , the Government of Botswana is pleased to see Debswana and Huawei ’ s joint efforts to drive digital transformation in the mining industry . Debswana is a leading mining company in Africa that , by working with Huawei , can take the efficiency , productivity and safety of mining to the next level .

Government of Botswana will continue to put in place facilitation measures to further support the digital transformation agenda across all sectors including the mining industry and welcomes international companies , such as Huawei , to participate in this agenda . Measures already underway including formulated digitalisation agenda , 5G roadmap and other supporting policies .

Xu Jun , Chief Technology Officer of Huawei Mine BU , said that Huawei is committed to using its strengths in ICT technologies like 5G , cloud , AI , and IoT to develop smart mine solutions for customers in the mining industry worldwide .

Liao Yong , Vice President of Huawei Sub- Saharan Africa Region , said over the past five years , Huawei has provided services to mining enterprises in a number of countries in the region , including South Africa , Botswana , Zambia , Namibia , and Ghana . Looking to the future , Huawei will work with more local partners to accelerate mining digital transformation and create more value in Africa .

According to Debswana , building on the success of the project in the Jwaneng mine , the company plans to also deploy the smart mining solution in its Orapa , Damtshaa , and Letlhakane mines in 2023 . p

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