Campus Network 300 meters… under the earth

An innovative campus network with mobile telephony infrastructure was designed and installed by COSMOTE in the underground mine of gold, silver, lead and zinc in Olympiada, Chalkidiki, one of the three total projects that make up the Kassandra Mines operated and developed by Hellas Gold.

This is a technologically complex project, the only one in Greece, at a depth of 300m. under the ground, covering adits of about 10 km. With this innovative technological solution, the enhancement of security and productivity is achieved, and the conditions for the complete digitization of the mine are created.

In particular, the mobile campus network, which is fully adapted and specially designed to Hellas Gold’s business needs, ensures both coverage and guaranteed capacity for the daily operations of the mine.

Through tablets, the communication between the employees in the basements and the operators of the means of transport and machinery is made more direct, with their colleagues on the surface and more specifically with the state-of-the-art Control Center that undertakes the supervision and coordination of the works.In addition, production time is increased, as shifts, production and fleet management are more efficiently organized. The benefits of this private mobile network include the immediacy of the transfer of critical data (ore weight during loading, type of transport material, machinery failures, etc.).

In the company’s plans, is the further utilization of the campus network by developing new applications and technologies that will allow functions such as remote mining, remote loading control, as well as vehicle telemetry (remote data collection).

At the same time, safety is enhanced, as in the future there will be a picture of the number of employees located in each part of the mine and critical information will be provided in emergencies. Also, through appropriate sensors that measure the concentration of particles or hazardous gases in the atmosphere (gas monitoring), the Control Center will be able to remotely regulate the supply and quality of the air (ventilation on demand) or even proactively remove workers by protecting them.

“This unique project by Greek standards unlocks for Hellas Gold significant new capabilities that will make our operation better and, most importantly, safer.Once again, we are pioneering by investing in cutting-edge technologies, with which we modernize the mining activity and lay the foundations for a better future. Our intention is to expand the network to Skouries where we are planning a landmark mine by Greek and European standards.”, said the Deputy General Manager, Operations, Greece of Hellas Gold, Michalis Papasotiriou.

“At COSMOTE we offer businesses integrated digital telecommunications and IT solutions for every need. Even for the most difficult conditions, such as the 300m. beneath the surface of the earth and the adits of kilometers, we have the solution.With experience, consistency, high know-how and efficiency. The campus network at the Olympiada mine was also a bet for us that we won, contributing to the modernization of the company and the digital strengthening of the mining process.”, stated the Chief Commercial Officer Business Segment of OTE Group, Grigoris Christopoulos

The benefits of campus networks using a mobile network

The private mobile network excels in security and stability, compared to other wireless networking solutions, as it allows the utilization of a specific spectrum, delivering very high speeds, top quality and reliability without interference.It is an advanced technological connectivity solution that can contribute to the digital transformation of businesses in the country, accelerating the development of the next generation of “Industry 4.0” industries and “smart manufacturing“, but also important sectors such as tourism, logistics, transport, infrastructure management (ports, airports), etc.

The future of campus networks is 5G, as with automation and analysis capabilities, with almost zero time lag, high capacity and data transmission speed, it allows the implementation of even more sophisticated applications in an industrial environment, for the benefit of the production process, but also of all the activities of a company.