Mining is a key sector in the South African economy. It is therefore important to digitize and simplify processes and provide new solutions for the sector.

Last Thursday, Swedish IT company Ericsson announced an agreement to provide its “Ericsson Private 5G” solution to global simulation software specialist Comsol in South Africa.

The combination of Ericsson's high-end connectivity solution and Comsol's mining and systems integration expertise will provide the mining industry with robust standalone 4G/LTE and 5G connectivity, and help Comsol's customers optimize and simplify business operations through data creation, collection, and analysis.

“We are thrilled to offer Comsol our pre-packaged and pre-integrated private network solution, Ericsson Private 5G. With its reliable, fast, and secure connectivity, Comsol’s customers will have the platform to enable innovative smart solutions for better operational efficiency and safety,”  commented Todd Ashton (photo, left), Vice President and Head of Ericsson South and East Africa at Ericsson Middle East and Africa.

The agreement gives Comsol the right to resell the Ericsson Private 5G high-speed wireless network solution. It will enable Comsol to expand its corporate activity within the local mining sector, which is one of the key investment sectors in South Africa.

The country is the world's largest chrome and platinum producer. The latest Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) data on mining production shows that total production has increased by 11.2% in 2021 compared to 2020.  In that key sector, “Comsol will utilize the PoC solution to experiment and test various use cases for mining and other industries, including Augmented Reality, Autonomous Vehicles, and Fixed Wireless Access.”

Samira Njoya