Nokia and Chile-based mining company Antofagasta Minerals have deployed an industrial-grade private wireless network with Antofagasta Minerals to support secure and reliable operations at the Minera Centinela copper mine in Chile.

The miner said the network would accelerate its digital transformation and automate its vehicle fleets.

It said the network would provide the high capacity and low latency required to reliably and securely connect a variety of sensors, devices, equipment and vehicles in above-ground and underground mining operations.

Nokia said that the network would support a wide array of operations as part of a five-year digitalisation plan to transform the mining sector.

Nokia explained that it designed and deployed the industrial-grade private 4.9G/LTE solution, including Nokia AirScale radio equipment, mobile packet core, IP/MPLS service aggregation routers and Wavence microwave transmission.

Gino Ivani, technology manager at Antofagasta Minerals, said the company wants to leverage operational efficiencies and is committed to improving mining operations in a safe, efficient manner.

Leonardo Serra, corporate head of IT projects at Antofagasta Minerals, said the wireless network would help the company meet the growing demand for copper.

Marcelo Entreconti, head of enterprise for Latin America at Nokia, said: "We are witnessing the first wave of Industry 4.0 projects in Latin America, and it is very exciting to watch them become a reality for mining companies like Antofagasta Minerals.

"Deploying these networks is considered the first and most important step in the digitalization journey of mining companies and lays the groundwork for an expansion beyond connectivity where Nokia is already proposing solutions to the global mining community."

In October 2021, Nokia launched a new 5G SA capable smartphone and a range of field routers to allow more enterprises to connect teams and equipment in demanding environments using private wireless networks.