Huawei participated in MWC Shanghai 2023 and showcased game-changing technologies for various industries including mining.
By Dineo Phoshoko
Huawei was exhibiting at stands E10 and E50 in Hall N1 of the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC), during MWC Shanghai 2023, which took place from 26 – 28 June 2023. The ICT infrastructure and smart devices company exhibited various products and services such as the 5G MEC solution. Huawei’s 5G MEC solution – which stands for Multi-access Edge Computing – is a network solution that provides services and computing functions required by users on edge nodes. It makes application services and content closer to users and implements network collaboration, providing users with a reliable and ultimate service experience. An expert from Huawei explained various applications of the 5G MEC solution across various industries including ports and mining. He explained that MEC for mining is a plug-and-play solution that is easy to deploy at mines and that it ensures that company data is safe and secure. The solution enables data voice and video calls. In addition, a mine can do data analysis across all its operations if it has more than one. During a demo, visitors at Huawei’s stand witnessed a video call made from SNIEC to an underground mineworker at Sandaogou Coal Mine, located in China’s Shaanxi province. The mine was located approximately 1 000km away from the expo centre. Despite the long distance, the mineworker and his underground surroundings were clearly visible and there was no lagging during the video call.
Huawei’s MEC to mine’s above and underground communications plays a crucial role in making remote mines more accessible, efficient, and safer. During a roundtable discussion with the media, Evita Cao, Huawei’s Vice President of International Media Affairs Department, explained that there were already 6 000 5G installations in various mines across China. “In China, we are working with over 800 mines,” he said. In addition to Sandaogou Coal Mine, Huawei also installed 5G technologies at Hongliulin Coal Mine and Xiaobaodang Coal Mine. The technologies varied from a visualized smart campus, intelligent mining and 5G telecommunication network among others. The technologies showcased at MWC Shanghai 2023 form part of Huawei’s Smart Mine Technologies which cater to the unique needs of different industries. For the mining industry, Huawei’s Smart Mine Technologies are centered around the intelligent mine. According to Huawei, the essence of intelligent mining lies in the industrial internet. Specializing in ICT infrastructure and smart devices, Huawei’s approach to achieving smart mining involves following a Platform + Machine Learning (ML) + Ecosystem strategy and deploying next-generation ICT. The ICT is deployed across cloud computing and big data to ML, 5G, and the Internet of Things (IoT) to construct the mining industrial internet and switch on intelligence.
How does 5G MEC to mine technologies benefit the mining industry?
Deploying 5G technologies has had various positive impacts on the mining industry, including safety, efficiency, and increased productivity. Using the industrial internet architecture for the first time, Hongliulin Coal Mine developed a unified coal mine big data platform, and streamlined information technologies (IT), operational technologies (OT), and communication technologies (CT) data – turning massive data into valuable assets for the company. From a productivity perspective, the mine achieved a daily output of 35 000 tons per mining face. The number of underground workers at the mine was reduced by 18%. This resulted in improved underground working efficiency, where the output per shift increased by 30%. Removing underground mineworkers to above ground also resulted in improved safety as miners were faced with fewer safety risks above ground compared to at the coalface underground. “It’s not eliminating jobs, it’s moving underground jobs to above ground,” Cao explained. As a result, through technology training, underground jobs become skilled jobs above ground. Another advantage of deploying 5G technologies in the mining industry is making the industry more attractive to young people. Cao highlighted that China’s coal mining industry was predominantly underground based because of the coal reserves. She added that as a career choice, mining was not at the top of the list for many young people in China. “The level of the technology involved, and the level of digitalization involved is making the work less dangerous and more attractive (to young people). It’s like a telecommunications worker or an IT worker above ground,” he explained.
Cao also highlighted that Huawei only started tapping into the mining industry about two years ago. “We know connectivity. We didn’t really know mining. Our people really got deep into the industry working closely with customers to explore where the concerns are and where we can match the right technology to solve exact problems.”
She mentioned that founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei had a vision for mineworkers to be able to work in a suit and tie and airconditioned offices. “It’s already turning into a reality in China because of the collaboration with Huawei, 5G+AI and industrial internet architecture being applied in some mines and mining groups, as the technology matures and being applied to more miners’ daily operations, it will turn into reality,” Cao said.
There is a common perception that the implementation of technology equates to replacing the unskilled labor force. Mine companies have invested in upskilling and training employees to not only prepare them for the emergence of technology but also make them more suitable for the technology job market. Cao explained that some of the Chinese mining companies had training centers that included above-ground simulation training centers to give miners a realistic experience of both above and underground mining. Such training centers improve the digital skills of miners operating intelligent mine systems. Huawei’s corporate communications vice president Edison Xie also pointed out that education played a crucial role in addressing the widely known stereotypes associated with technology and job replacements. “It falls upon our friends working in the media industry to educate people that technology doesn’t chase people away from the current job opportunities, but that it will fundamentally change the way you work. It will also change people’s perceptions about job opportunities available in some old sectors like the mining sector – to make it more appealing to young people. Not only men but young women too. It increases the number of job opportunities,” he said.
Huawei’s 5G projects in South Africa and Africa
As a developing country in a developing continent, South Africa’s mining industry is not too far behind in terms of implementing 5G technologies. There are currently three 5G projects in South Africa, namely: Canyon Coal’s Phalanndwa CollierySouth Africa’s Zijin Platinum and Waiting for Mine. Huawei collaborated with MTN on the Phalanndwa and Zijin projects, and on the Nungu project, BCX was one of the main partners among others. The projects were announced between June 2022 and December 2022. Xie explained how the company collaborated with different partners in other industries. “We sell our equipment to carriers such as MTN. We build the connectivity infrastructure for them. They are the ones who provide connectivity services to the mines.” In addition to South Africa, Huawei announced another 5G project with Botswana’s Debswana Dimond Company. The announcement was made during MWC Barcelona 2023. All four projects are a strong indication of Africa’s acceleration in adopting 5G technologies in the mining industry. This is undoubtedly a step in the right direction for the developing continent. Looking at other countries across the rest of the African continent, it is important to note that not all of them are equipped with the necessary infrastructure to implement 5G. “Fortunately enough, South Africa is one of the pioneers in Africa to have 5G, but in other African countries, they don’t have 5G for now and they might not need 5G for now,” explained Xie. In countries where 5G is not yet available, 4G is the alternative. Huawei also has 4G technologies that can be easily migrated to 5G at a later stage if necessary. Xie further added that it was up to the carrier to determine whether there was a need for 5G. “We don’t force them to implement 5G. We only innovate together with them to bring the most unique technology to the people.” In conclusion, Xie touched on Huawei’s forward-thinking approach saying that Huawei did not innovate just for the sake of innovation, but rather innovated to solve problems. “We don’t introduce new technologies for the sake of new technologies, but the right one to meet a real need.”
Source: mining-news.co.za
