Solar-Backed Autonomous AirFibre for Open-Cast Mining in the Northern Cape
Delivering 500Mbps symmetrical gigabit links and autonomous drone telemetry in off-grid desert conditions.
Executive Summary
Deep desert mining operations require high-bandwidth connectivity for autonomous haulage fleets and perimeter surveillance without relying on unstable municipal power grids.
The Operational Challenge
The mine was constrained by 10Mbps VSAT connections with 650ms latency, making remote autonomous vehicle operations and real-time volumetric drone surveying impossible.
The Engineered e-Mbizo Architecture
e-Mbizo deployed a high-capacity licensed 11GHz microwave AirFibre backhaul linked to our national optical core, powered by ruggedized lithium-phosphate solar repeater stations designed for 50°C desert heat.
Key Technical Specifications:
- High-capacity 11GHz licensed microwave AirFibre link spanning 65km with zero rain fade
- Heavy-duty IP67 enclosures with active thermoelectric cooling and solar battery arrays
- On-site Edge AI server for processing real-time safety drone video feeds and seismic sensors
- Seamless integration with on-site private APN LTE for driverless haul truck telemetry
Measured Business Impact & Results
Download Official Technical Brief (PDF)
Download the complete stamped engineering whitepaper with full optical schematics and telemetry graphs for your technical evaluation.