Workshop: Underground Mine Communications Infrastructure

The physical architecture of IP network infrastructure in underground mining operations varies greatly from that used in other industries. Each mine must take an individual approach to ensure a reliably built network; however, there are some common architectures that can be used alone or in combination in most circumstances to deliver good results. The choice of network topology will have an impact not only on reliability but also on the speed of network recovery.

The purpose of this workshop is for subject matter experts in underground communication architecture to develop content in the design section of the guideline, specifically around client device considerations based on specific use cases. 

This section of the guideline covers topics including: 

• Communication service elements (voice, data, physical media, and power)
• Voice and wireless access network selection (consideration in choosing a pattern, client device considerations, and risk management considerations)
• Power design (UPS location and coverage and UPS design)
• Networking standards 
• Wired network design (logical architecture and physical architecture)
• Digital radio, Wi-Fi, and LTE design
• Mesh and V2X network design
• Wireless sensor network design 
• Location system design