TECHNOLOGY

ARQ and M2M partner for digital twins

MELBOURNE technology provider M2M Connectivity has struck an agreement with consultancy ARQ Group to offer 5G solutions to mining companies in Australia.

Paul Hunt
 ARQ and M2M will collaborate to bring 5G to Australian mines.

ARQ and M2M will collaborate to bring 5G to Australian mines.

Under the partnership, M2M and ARQ will focus on creating "digital twin solutions", which they claim will help "pave the way for a 5G evolution in the mining sector".

Other consultancies including Fitch Solutions have previously declared the technology would take years to surpass 4G and other technologies in Australia's resources sector.

M2M and ARQ hope to lead the charge of expanding 5G across mine sites but will start smaller, by offering digital twin systems at first.

According to the venture, the digital solutions offering will help miners prepare for "the inevitable uptake of 5G" by helping them integrate compatible technologies.

 

Digital twins are digital replicas of systems and machinery that can be used to test, calibrate and design processes and systems, without altering or impacting real-world operations.

"Digital twin technology is a gateway technology, which can help mining companies create a 5G-ready platform so they aren't caught lagging behind when the 5G evolution hits its stride in Australia," ARQ associate director James Litjens said.

"5G has the potential to significantly increase production efficiency and the cost of machinery and asset maintenance in the mining sector."

The digital twin offering will incorporate an internet-of-things technology, dubbed Octave, which was developed by M2M's mother company Sierra Wireless.

Octave will be integrated into M2M's digital twin solution.

Sierra Wireless marketing director Benoit Tournier said he believed that creating a digital twin using Octave, would help mining companies future-proof their operations and ensure they had systems in place to capitalise on the innate benefits of 4G and future 5G networks.

 

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