Bell announces technology collaboration with mining equipment manufacturer MacLean

Bell Canada and MacLean, a Canadian-based manufacturer of underground mining equipment, announced on Sept. 17 a technology collaboration to better support the evolving needs of mining customers. This partnership will reportedly introduce innovations focused on improving equipment interoperability—how machines exchange and utilize information—thereby enhancing worker safety, promoting sustainable practices, and reducing vehicle emissions.

According to Bell Canada, the installation of a Bell Private Mobile Network (PMN) at the MacLean Research & Training Facility in Sudbury, Ont., will help provide a communications infrastructure suited for mining vehicle innovation. Bell’s PMN will transform the test facility into a Centre of Excellence, leveraging Bell’s secure 5G/LTE network that delivers dedicated bandwidth and signal stability from the surface shop to the underground environment.

This Centre of Excellence serves as the foundation for MacLean’s mobile equipment research and development. It enables the company’s mining vehicles to be more dependably controlled remotely, with real-time monitoring data to support rapid decision-making. Remote operations allow machines to work together better, maximizing the potential for the deployment of semi or fully autonomous mining, where underground excavations can be done safely by operators above ground. Remote operators can also monitor vehicles from a distance without lag, powered by Bell’s low-latency PMN.

Bell says the collaboration demonstrates the company’s commitment to sustainable mining practices as Bell has also installed PMN coverage at MacLean’s Electric Vehicle refurbishment plant located in the same facility. Replicating the operating environment in the manufacturing facility optimizes quality assurance and manufacturing efficiencies. Accelerating the transformation of mining companies’ digital services enables the deployment of electric vehicles underground using sophisticated battery technologies that leverage real-time monitoring, with reductions in fuel use and CO₂ emissions.

“Bell’s private mobile network will allow MacLean to drive the modernization of mining operations in Canada supporting the interoperability of equipment, safer environments for all workers, and fostering a more sustainable future through the enablement of battery electric mining vehicles,” says Costa Pantazopoulos, VP Product, Bell. “Our collaboration will support the opportunity for innovative Canadian Internet of Things solutions providers to test and modify their solutions to perform at the exacting standards required in rugged, real-world mining conditions in MacLean’s Centre of Excellence.”

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