The mining industry is experiencing a new direction in the Philippines – it’s now considered a key sector in reinvigorating the pandemic-hit economy.
The Philippines is rich in mineral resources—nickel, in particular. In fact, it’s the fifth most mineralized country in the world with untapped reserves estimated at $1 trillion. Trading around US$19,500 per tonne, nickel is a crucial element used in stainless steel as well as in lithium-ion battery cells for most electric vehicles, making it a critical metal in the Green Energy revolution.
Importance of connectivity in the mining industry
When it comes to operating a mining site, the internet plays a key role in making fast and accurate decisions, ensuring communication, and aiding health and safety of the workers on site. However, most mining regions have challenging terrain, making it difficult and expensive to build terrestrial networks such as cell towers and fiber lines. In remote areas where many mining sites are located, broadband internet delivered by satellite is the only logical match due to its extensive coverage and simple set up.
Claire Pascual, Technical Assistant of Finance and Operations Head of Century Peak Corporation (CPC), says that a fast, stable internet connection can be a driver of success. To ensure the daily operations of CPC, a nickel mining company in the remote Dinagat Islands, are efficient, its employees need real-time coordination with the management, clients, and colleagues. However, it used to take them a trip of several hours to reach the city of San Jose to simply send an email. “It was such a hassle, especially if there were urgent reports needed to be sent to the head office,” Pascual mentioned.
Kacific and Ka-Band Technology: Accessible solutions for mining operations connectivity
CPC reached out to Bambunet powered by Pipol Broadband, a local Internet Service Provider (ISP) of Kacific that provides high-speed internet solutions using the Kacific1 satellite - a powerful new satellite above Asia Pacific. In just two days, Bambunet’s KADs: TrueVision Enterprises and Oktatech - Technology Solutions and Services successfully installed a light, quick-deploy 1.2m satellite dish with speeds of up to 85 Mbps at the site.
Kacific1 is a next-generation geostationary satellite, which means that it can provide connectivity over a large coverage area across all 7,640 islands in the Philippines. This, in turn, makes it ideal for connecting mine sites even in the most remote areas. Kacific1 is a High Throughput Satellite (HTS) because it reuses the same spectrum (frequencies) multiple times in the 56 spot beams. By reusing frequency in the high-powered spot beams, Kacific was able to be more efficient and the cost was reduced per megabit, which can lead to much faster speeds for a lower cost than what older models of satellites are using (Ku-band or C-band technology).
Bambunet powered by Pipol Broadband offers unlimited plans starting at ₱5,940 in the Philippines. Terminals are offered for a one-time terminal fee of ₱34,000 or ₱52,000 depending on the size of the plan needed. A one-time installation fee of ₱10,000 is charged by distributors to install the terminal in a specific area.
Thanks to the Kacific1 satellite’s wide coverage across the Philippines and all the islands, mining sites like CPC can now rely on a reliable connection. “Bambunet is very responsive as an ISP. When issues arise, they send technicians to the site immediately. They even showed our IT manager how to troubleshoot.” Pascual said.
As long as there is a clear line of sight to the sky, there will always be a connection for multiple users or even a whole community. This can support countless mining operations like geo-positioning services and mine site environmental monitoring. In addition, Kacific has two local teleports located in Subic Bay and Clark as its backup sites to ensure that connectivity remains available even in inclement weather.
During the next four years, there could be as many as 190 new mining projects across the Philippines, contributing to an increase of up to $2 billion in annual export revenue. Reliable connectivity will be an integral part of improving the operations of both new and existing sites.
Do you have business in remote areas requiring affordable, reliable high-speed internet?
Contact Bambunet powered by Pipol Broadband at www.bambunet.com or call (0998) 555 3243.
For more information on Kacific’s satellite technology, contact [email protected].
Apply to be a Kacific Authorized Distributor today, visit https://kacific.com/distributor-network to know more.