Advancements in Mine Communication Systems: The Efficacy and Applications of 5G and LoRa Technologies in Modern Mining Operations

In the transition towards digitalization and automation of mining processes, high vol-umes of data are generated, including data from distributed sensor and actuator networks, voice communications, videos and vehicle telemetry data. This generated data is prepro-cessed on-site and subsequently transferred not only to headquarters for detailed analysis but also between mining machines and vehicles in case of automation or autonomous mining. Stable and efficient communication in the mining industry and particularly in underground environments is essential for increasing safety and productivity, support fast and secure transportation and facilitate logistical processes, ensuring continuous and smooth operations. Several different communication technologies and protocols exist related to the mining field, each with its unique characteristics, advantages, or limitations. This article focuses on two essential technologies that, despite their shared goal of enhancing communication networks, exhibit notable contrasts in some of their characteristics: Long Range (LoRa) as an existing technology in the industry since years and the technology of the fifth genera-tion (5G) of cellular network will be presented and discussed in this article, highlighting the significant differences in their properties and applications. This provides an important basis for understanding the limits and possible trade-offs of the wireless communication technologies required in the mining industry for large scale sensor networks.