By Oystein Bergmann, Correspondent Scandinavia

Nokia has announced it is working with mobile operator Telia, and its partner Digita, to deliver a 5G SA private wireless network for Agnico Eagle Finland Oy that operates the Kittilä mine in northern Finland. The network will support advanced Industry 4.0 use cases at the mine to accelerate its digital transformation.

The Kittilä mine is the largest primary gold producer in Europe and is located 900 km north of Helsinki, and 150 km north of the Arctic circle in the Lapland region of northern Finland.

The Nokia 5G SA network will support both above and below-ground operations, reaching depths of up to one kilometer. It will cover an extensive tunnel system to connect people, equipment, sensors, devices and vehicles leveraging the low latency capabilities of 5G.

The Kittilä mine will benefit from real-time data processing at the network edge, supporting important business Industry 4.0 use cases, such as autonomous vehicles, high-precision positioning and group communications, to further enhance operational reliability, safety and quality.

General Manager of the Kittilä mine, Tommi Kankkunen said: “Having already piloted autonomous and remotely controlled machinery in recent years, we chose to work with Nokia, Telia and Digita to deliver capabilities for the next phase of our digital transformation journey. We want to innovate by using the latest technologies and will leverage the Nokia 5G SA private network to enhance operational efficiency and support the highest level of safety for teams working at the mine.”

The Nokia 5G SA private wireless network, based on the Nokia Modular Private Wireless (MPW) solution, will incorporate Nokia 5G RAN AirScale base station technology and critical edge computing capabilities, together with the Nokia Compact Mobility Unit-based 5G core. The network will be deployed in phases and is expected to be completed in October 2022.

Chief Technology Officer, Telia Finland, Jari Collin said: “We are excited to be a part of this project for Agnico Eagle, providing high-performance 5G to transform operations at the Kittilä mine. This deployment continues our work with Nokia and Digita to deliver 5G SA private wireless networks in Finland to support the growing digital economy in the country.”

Head of Enterprise Solutions at Nokia, Stephan Litjens,  said: “This is another great example of how collaboration across the ecosystem is essential for developing winning technology solutions to meet productivity, safety and sustainability targets. We are pleased to work with Telia and Digita to deliver our leading 5G standalone private wireless technology and enable new Industry 4.0 use cases for the Kittilä Mine. Nokia industrial private wireless networks provide secure, reliable connectivity to meet the stringent operational demands of today’s mining industry, and 5G enables even greater levels of performance.””

Nokia industrial-grade private wireless technology can be deployed in the most remote locations, making it ideally suited for the digital transformation of mining facilities. Mine owners can take advantage of Industry 4.0 applications that enable new levels of automation to better manage fluctuations in demand, while enhancing productivity, operational efficiency and workforce safety. Nokia currently has more than 380 enterprise customers of industrial-grade wireless private networks globally, including more than 35 mining customers.