Wavesight has deployed high-performance wireless radio networks across multiple subsidiaries for Coal India Limited.
According to the company, these networks now enable seamless communication, improve safety and boost productivity across multiple sites.
Coal India Limited is the largest coal producer internationally. It has over 300,000 employees that operate 353 mines (158 underground, 174 opencast, 20 mixed) across eight Indian states.
Wavesight explained that Coal India supplies a significant portion of India’s energy requirements through its subsidiaries – ECL, WCL, SECL, BCCL and MCL.
The mining company is committed to advancing the digital transformations in mining operations.
Wavesight explained that the challenge mining sites face is that communication infrastructure has to span highly remote, rural and rugged terrain where wired networks were impractical.
Before Wavesight’s deployment, existing legacy systems had limited automation and real-time monitoring across diverse mine types.
To ensure the worker’s safety in hazardous mining environments, CIL required reliable, instant wireless connectivity, as well as scalable, resilient wireless infrastructure in order to accommodate growing operational demands.
To provide security across the site, Wavesight said that it deployed over 1500 industrial-grade radios across more than 20 sites that are managed by CIL subsidiaries.
The company deployed wireless networks that use point-to-point and point-to-multipoint radio technologies that are optimised for harsh mining including dust, vibration and temperature extremes.
Another key highlight of the deployment was that across the security solutions, there is seamless integration with automation systems such as CCTV, PLC, Automation RFID based Boom Barrier System.
The company added that its Weighbridge System and IoT sensors improving operational control and safety monitoring.
Additionally, Wavesight reported that local Indian partners supported installation, maintenance and ongoing network expansion.
According to the company, there are a number of results and benefits including enabled automation of critical mine operations which reduces manual workforce load and increases precision, enhanced worker safety with real-time communication and rapid incident response across sites, improved operational efficiency that contributes to CIL’s sustainable production targets and lower maintenance costs and increased network uptime versus legacy communication methods.
Wavesight explained that through the deployment, it helped to position Coal India for future digital growth such as introducing private 5G and advanced IoT applications.
Wavesight explained that Coal India selected the company to deploy security measures as it provides:
