Company officials said, under the new agreement, managed services and fibre-like connectivity at the DRC complex will be powered by the O3b Medium Earth Orbit satellite fleet, giving it the ability to video-conference operators and corporate personnel, use cloud-based applications for critical data and improve overall safety and productivity.

Neither company disclosed a timeline for the turnkey solution’s delivery. Ivanhoe DRC project head Steve Amos noted, however, that it is seeking to get the right information to the right people at the right time as part of its mission for leading-edge exploration and development technologies.

“We look forward to working with SES Networks to improve connectivity and communications at our mine sites in the DRC,” he said.

Kamoa-Kakula, located outside of DRC’s provincial capital of Lubumbashi, is the largest undeveloped high-grade copper discovery in the world. It is a joint venture between Ivanhoe, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zijin Mining Group.