Datasat: Communications infrastructure key to long-term value in mining industry

An optimized remote communications infrastructure can help mining companies control costs and increase business efficiency, according to a recently-released positioning paper by Datasat Communications

The mining industry is currently enjoying an eight-year commodities supercycle of growth. However, the slowdown of the Chinese market has prompted some speculators to predict that the supercyle is coming to an end. There are also fears that another twenty-year slump akin to the 1973-2003 "dark age" is looming in the horizon.

In order to make the most out of the possible downturn, mining companies must maximize the efficiency of their operations. One of the ways to do so is to optimize existing and planned remote communications infrastructure.

Datasat's positioning paper detailed the pivotal role played by remote communications in maximizing the value of a mining organization's technology investment. According to Bernie Branfield, General Manager of Datasat Communications, the communications infrastructure of a mine site is worth several times the initial investment.

Mining companies have unique business needs and budgets. Their communications solutions must be specifically tailored to those requirements. Effective cost management will maximize operations efficiency, which is important in these times of diminishing returns where mines require 50% more effort and expenses to extract the same amount of resources that they used to do ten or twenty years back.

To create a communications infrastructure that ensures high levels of performance and availability, mining companies may avail of a great range of network technologies. Satellite communications services can now provide high data rates and secure connections over inter-site and inter-country distances at affordable prices. Similar advances for wireless and mobile communications bring a wide range of applications that are used for intra-site and site-to-site communications.

An optimized remote communications infrastructure can provide innovative solutions. The idea is to increase the efficiency of mining operation during and after the mining supercycle. Remote communications can lower operational costs by allowing more remote operations to be performed on sites. It also adds long-term value to the project by allowing the infrastructure to perform tasks that it hitherto could not be used.

For example, communications infrastructure can be used to maintain a social licence with local communities through close communication. By expanding their existing communications infrastructure to encompass to nearby communities, mining operators can use it to educate and entertain said communities, which will improve their relations.

To this end, a mining company should be careful in selecting a network service provider. The mining company and the network service provider must work together to delineate the mine's specific requirements and create a communications infrastructure perfect for its needs and budgets.