Ericsson and Comsol to utilize private network for mine safety in SA

06 March 2023

Ericsson has signed a reseller agreement with Comsol to provide the Ericsson Private 5G solution that will enable Comsol to expand its enterprise business within South Africa’s mining industry.

With Ericsson’s high-end connectivity solution and Comsol’s expertise in mining and systems integration, this collaboration is set to help the nation’s mining industry improve worker safety, increase operational efficiency, and realize its sustainability goals.

Ericsson Private 5G is Ericsson’s next generation private network solution providing secure and reliable 4G and 5G connectivity through its single server dual mode core. Built for business operations, the solution comes pre-integrated to ensure rapid time to use and turning on advanced and intelligent operations in any environment.
Taking the nature of a reseller agreement, Comsol will receive the right to resell the high-speed wireless networking solution to customers across South Africa’s mining industry.

Helping the mining industry gain robust 4G/LTE and 5G Standalone (SA) connectivity, the solution will also help Comsol’s customers optimize and simplify business operations through data creation, collection, and analysis. This solution will enable Comsol to provide reliable and secure communication while connecting people, industrial sites, and devices.

“As a leader of guaranteed, dedicated, high-speed, last mile connectivity in South Africa, we pride ourselves on exploring the best ubiquitous connectivity solutions to enhance our very own business as well as that of our customers,” said Gary Woolley, Comsol executive: private networks. “Being a highly efficient solution, we are confident Ericsson's Private 5G solution will drive digitalization and further enhance the low latency, high throughput network we offer, to increase operational efficiencies and develop safer work environments.”

“We are thrilled to offer Comsol our pre-packaged and pre-integrated, private network solution, Ericsson Private 5G,” said Todd Ashton, vice president and head of Ericsson South and East Africa at Ericsson Middle East and Africa. “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. Installed in minimal time, Ericsson Private 5G offers Comsol the reliable and complete coverage on both indoor and outdoor sites.”

Ericsson successfully delivered a proof of concept (PoC) implementing the Ericsson Private 5G solution as a pre-packaged standalone implementation of the Ericsson Dual Mode Core, which supports end-to-end cellular data-only services focusing primarily on enterprise applications.

The Ericsson Private 5G solution enables 5G standalone (SA) connectivity with a low carbon footprint and low lead-time. 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.

Built on 4G/5G radio and dual mode core technology, Comsol's customers in the nation’s mining industry will significantly benefit from improved productivity, infrastructure, and simplified operations. The solution will also support Comsol’s customers in accelerating their digital transformation.