Komatsu first in mining to operate AHS over dedicated private LTE network
Komatsu America Corp., a leading global heavy equipment manufacturer, today announced the FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) has qualified to operate on private long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband technology. This is the mining industry’s first AHS enabled to run on private LTE in commercial operations, making way for ultra-high system availability and reliability, while adhering to Komatsu’s renowned safety standards. Komatsu’s FrontRunner AHS allows unmanned operation of ultra-class mining trucks and is critical to the mining industry. FrontRunner delivers significant benefits, including reduced worker exposure to harm, protocols designed to constantly improve mine-site safety, reduced operating costs, and increased productivity and efficiency. The company completed a year-long qualification program at the company’s proving grounds in Tucson, Arizona, conducting extensive testing of the FrontRunner AHS on Nokia’s Future X infrastructure, a leading provider of private LTE communication solutions for the mining industry.
Mining operators demand wireless networks with high-availability, seamless mobility, world class Quality of Service (QoS), and the ability to support multiple applications and services simultaneously. Accordingly, the industry is moving away from less predictable wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, and towards private LTE networks, that improve security, capacity, and overall performance within a multi-application environment.
Read more
