How Effective Communication Systems Empower Mining in Africa

The backbone of Africa’s development is mining. The industry employs hundreds of thousands of locals, contributes to huge infrastructural development, and enables economic growth on a global scale. The extreme nature of this industry makes it very challenging to navigate; especially when considering locations’ remoteness, unmaintained or non-existent infrastructure, and the simultaneous management of many personnel, machineries and organisations. That is why efficient and effective communication systems are paramount to this industry.

Integrated communication systems architecture meets many of the industry’s evolving needs by providing reliable remote comms, accurate asset tracking, and safety and security solutions. Moreover, satellite comms is essential to supporting fail-safe contingency and business continuity plans in the most volatile conditions. Importantly, this satellite connectivity can be supplemented by terrestrial infrastructure, but can also function uninterrupted, and at a premium level, when no other comms infrastructure exists.

Critical to mines’ long-term operational success is the seamless transfer of data between pits, machinery, head office, and global data centres. This goes hand-in-hand with real-time asset tracking of high-value, high-risk assets like heavy machinery, VIP personnel, and mined materials (such as diamonds, gold, and uranium, etc.). Speaking to this, David Lipton, CEO of globalCom Africa, notes that “satellite transcends borders and provides a consistent, reliable solution for knowing where assets are at any given point in time, no matter their remoteness”. Satellite solutions cut through comms complexities by delivering quality coverage to all the mine’s assets and staff, ensuring flawless business continuity and exceptional asset management.

That is why satellite solutions (alongside telemetry and IoT) are key to optimal mine functionality. “With satellite you can get a certain minimum level of service, quality and performance, as it is global infrastructure… Mining is one of those vertical markets that just has to operate at absolute optimum performance; mines cannot get away with running on haphazard communications,” adds David. This is illustrated in mines’ distress signalling where timeous emergency notification and rapid response is non-negotiable; high latency and inconsistent coverage could cost thousands of lives and millions worth of loss or damage.

Since 2008, globalCom has designed and managed the business continuity plan of one of Africa’s largest mining consortiums. This comprehensive contingency strategy uses satellite to safeguard the company’s personnel, assets, and operations in case of disaster, regime change, electrical collapse, and so on. Satellite functions independently of these geopolitical risks, ensuring reliable communication that could save the lives of the thousands of miners underground and protect the company’s invaluable resources.

At globalCom Africa, we take time to understand your mining-specific needs and then design, implement, and maintain the solutions that will meet these requirements. Because we take the time to listen to your concerns, our solutions architecture is proactive and scalable.

Since 2008, globalCom has designed and managed the business continuity plan of one of Africa’s largest mining consortiums. This comprehensive contingency strategy uses satellite to safeguard the company’s personnel, assets, and operations in case of disaster, regime change, electrical collapse, and so on. Satellite functions independently of these geopolitical risks, ensuring reliable communication systems that could save the lives of the thousands of miners underground and protect the company’s invaluable resources.