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Addressing common pitfalls in mine operations

Mining sites exist where the orebody dictates, often far beyond any public network footprint or power line reach. Power limitations and connectivity gaps create a patchwork of coverage, leaving crews and equipment cycling through “dark zones” and inconsistent operational visibility.

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Every mining project brings together challenging terrain, high-value equipment, extensive support infrastructure, stringent regulations, and environmental risks. Without seamless data flow across these layers, even small disruptions can cascade into delays that erode project margins.

Our global, ground-independent satellite network delivers resilient L-band connectivity that stands up to storms, dust, and fog, and operates on minimal power. Integrating our technology into mine infrastructure strengthens operational continuity and supports strategic business transformation by enabling:

Single connectivity fabric

Our connectivity layer covers machinery, field infrastructure, and people, and scales across multiple pits, reducing operational complexity, simplifying security and governance

Actionable IoT data

Real-time, uninterrupted telemetry means critical data is delivered into dashboards timely and completely, translating into ROI with valuable analytics and predictive maintenance

Always-on team safety

Independent of local towers, satellite links remain available during power cuts, natural disasters, and industrial incidents, improving compliance posture and insurer confidence

Low cost of ownership

Global satellite reach helps avoid the build-move-rebuild cycle of terrestrial infrastructure, reducing multi-contract integration and support overhead, aligning connectivity costs with business value
IoT Terminals

Engineered to take the heat

Easy to deploy and easy to manage, our IoT terminals are designed to avoid implementation complexity and accelerate time to value. Purpose-built devices under Iridium Edge® family — Iridium Edge®, Edge® Pro and Edge® Solar — enable satellite connectivity right out of the box, and feature

  • Military-grade durability with temperature-, shock-, vibration- and impact-resistant enclosures
  • Ultra-low-power profiles for multi-year deployments requiring minimal hands-on maintenance
  • Native support for essential sensor inputs to monitor mission-critical environmental conditions
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Iridium Edge® Pro

Satellite connectivity, future-proof

Elegant, ultra-slim Iridium modules seamlessly integrate with products of any scale to enable cloud-ready satellite data on existing solutions or streamline new hardware development integrating Iridium connectivity.

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Iridium Certus™ 9704

A dedicated module for Iridium Messaging Transport®, designed as a single surface-mount component with 2-square-inch footprint.
IoT Data

Small message sizes, big business impact

For industrial use cases, Iridium offers two ultra-efficient data services, optimized for power-constrained assets, cloud-native ingress, and total cost transparency.

  • Iridium Short Burst Data® (SBD®) — a simple, cost-efficient packet-based service, ideal for applications relying on frequent transmissions of smaller data packets, like sensor reports or heartbeat messages.
  • Iridium Messaging Transport (IMT) — a cloud-integrated service that handles payloads up to 100kB; preferred for applications with larger messages, images or file transfers.
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Site engineers are having a conversation in an underground mine

An ecosystem of Iridium connected™ solutions

Iridium partners offer a wide range of solutions for heavy equipment telemetry, autonomous fleet management, environmental and earth monitoring.

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When connectivity becomes business value

Increase asset reliability

Leverage Iridium to continuously stream telemetry data from heavy equipment and critical fixed plants, and alert crews on anomaly events to avoid catastrophic failures

A large quarry dump truck in a coal mine. Loading coal into body work truck. Mining equipment for the transportation of minerals.

Optimize production throughput

Enforce end-to-end location tracking and real-time telemetry for mobile assets to shorten queues, reassign under-used assets, reroute zone violations, and keep tonnes-to-mill on plan

Engineer under inspection and checking construction process railway switch and checking work on railroad station .Engineer wearing safety uniform and safety helmet in work.

Streamline pit-to-port logistics

Get uninterrupted reporting on sensor data and equipment location to improve ETA accuracy, reduce demurrage, and tighten chain of custody for concentrate, reagent and critical spares

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Reinforce environmental compliance

Proactively control noise, dust, water quality and blast overpressure, spot exception trends and detect risks early with real-time trigger alerts to avoid fines and regulatory penalties.

mining

Cut energy, fuel, and emissions

Capture temperatures, pressure measurements, engine hours, status and fuel-rate, push alerts when assets idle beyond thresholds/run outside efficient bands, and trim fuel-per-tonne usage

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Accelerate remote enablement

Lean on satellite connectivity for exploration and early works to move data from surveys and assays instantly, seamlessly lift and shift comms as benches advance without stranding project

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Iridium Land Mobile Solutions for Remote Mining Operations

Mining sites push equipment, teams, and communications systems to their limit. Our land mobile solutions spanning Iridium Certus® specialty L-band broadband terminals, Push-To-Talk (PTT) services, and rugged satellite phones, give operators the reliable, always-on connectivity needed to keep productivity high and crews safe.

Truly Global PTT for Field Coordination

Iridium PTT enables instant, secure group communication from haul truck routes to blast coordination. Featuring true global coverage and LMR network interoperability, teams can stay aligned and responsive across widely dispersed work zones.
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Rugged Satellite Phones and Access Devices for Safety & Mobility

Our satellite phones and access devices, like the Iridium Extreme® and Iridium GO! exec®, offer reliable voice communication, real-time GPS location reporting, and SOS functionality in ultra-durable form factors. Handheld, battery powered and built for mobility, they are ideal for exploration crews, lone workers, and mobile teams navigating unpredictable terrain.
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Specialty Internet Access for Extreme Environments – Iridium Certus

Built for harsh environments, Iridium Certus terminals deliver dependable, weather-resilient L-band internet access for mission-critical operations. Perfect for sending site data files and analyses, accessing the internet for email and file sharing, enabling remote diagnostics and support, as well as video calling and voice calls even in bad weather.
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Bucket wheel excavator working in lignite surface mine

Extract more operational value with Iridium

Leveraging our global network, you can achieve continuous visibility and operational transparency and unlock new levels of productivity above and underground.

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