Telstra Mining Services and Mebourne-based mining corporation Newcrest have rolled out what is billed as Papua New Guinea’s first private 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) mobile network at Newcrest’s Lihir goldmine.

According to Telstra – which collaborated on the design, staging, site deployment and testing of the network – the wireless communications platform will allow for greater levels of safety, remote operation and automation.

Dr Jeannette McGill, Head of Telstra Mining Services, said Newcrest’s decision to invest in private LTE tech further validates it as a reliable, scalable networking platform for the mining industry.

“We’ve provided Newcrest with a tailored platform that will underpin its safety and digital mining ambitions and will help improve productivity and deliver new value and efficiencies to the business. They’ll be using it to further modernise the mine site to enable the use of current and future mining applications, including tele-remote and autonomous systems, more extensively,” she said.