Zinkgruvan Mine Gets its Own Private Cellular Network from Telia, Powered by Athonet’s 4G & 5G Core

Telia has supplied a customised mobile network to Zinkgruvan Mining (Sweden), which extends over 48 kilometers of transport routes and tunnels down to a depth of 1300 metres. The mobile network has been designed for very high performance, reliability and accessibility and is a platform for digitalisation and streamlining of Zinkgruvan Mining’s operations.

“To be able to operate as safely and efficiently as possible, we wanted to automate and remotely control production to a greater extent,” says Zinkgruvan Mining CEO Staffan Sandström. “In order for this to be possible, high capacity, accessibility and a communication network were required, which must not have any interruptions. At the same time, we needed a digital platform with flexible solutions to match the pace of change in our company. The new solution now offers all of this.”

Telia’s solution ensures a robust network with high accessibility, enabling the development of IoT solutions, improved staff location, push-to-talk for down-mine communication and remote control and location of machines. The solution is based on dedicated capacity from licensed 4G frequencies that are ready to scale up to 5G for future needs.

“We are pleased to be able to launch Sweden’s first dedicated mobile network for autonomous production, together with Zinkgruvan Mining,” says Tobias Larsson, Head of Corporate Business, Telia Sweden. “With a customised mobile network, automation and management of massive data volumes are possible with a guaranteed connection for critical applications. This service is important in creating new value for the industrial sector, and is a step towards 5G.”

“We are glad to have supported Telia to provide this mission critical network for the Zinkgruvan Mine,” says Gianluca Verin, CTO of Athonet. “Athonet’s 4G & 5G Core allows mobile operators to provide enterprises with highly reliable but IT-friendly and affordable mobile private network solutions. It also gives mobile operators the freedom to work with their choice of radio solutions without end-to-end lock-ins.”