annual_report_2019_en

Development4ALL: Driving Balanced Development

ICT has become a key driver of digital and intelligent transformation across industries and inclusive growth in

different regions. However, a huge digital divide between different countries and regions and between different

industries still exists. We provide affordable and easy-to-use digital technologies for different application scenarios,

especially in regions and industries that are relatively underdeveloped. We aim to eliminate the development gaps

between different industries, businesses, regions, and groups, and provide equal access to digital resources so they

are inclusive to everyone.

5G-powered Unmanned Smart Mining – Changing the Mining Industry

Mining has traditionally been a hot, tough, and dangerous occupation, with collapses, landslides, and dust clouds

possible at any moment. While remote-controlled trucks are considered to be a safer and more efficient alternative in

some mining scenarios, they have failed to deliver the expected efficiency and safety gains due to long latency caused

by slow network transmission. Now 5G is bringing us hope.

With the shift from manual mining and remote-controlled mining trucks to 5G-powered unmanned smart mining,

the mining industry is entering the digital age. With Huawei and China Mobile, China Molybdenum has built a 24/7

safety monitoring system that covers the whole mining process for all outdoor mining areas, thanks to the high-speed

transmission made possible by 5G. Sensors and controllers within the mining vehicles are connected with high-speed

5G networks, sending onsite environment and equipment status information back to the control room in real time.

Drivers can now remotely work from a control center, with three screens in the front of the driver’s seat showing a

close-up of the excavator’s robotic arm, the mid-range view from the driver’s perspective, and the panoramic view of

the excavator and surrounding environment. These images allow drivers to understand actual conditions in the mining

area while eliminating almost all blind spots and latency.

This project represents China’s first unmanned mine and a significant evolution for the entire mining industry. According

to Yang Hui, President of Operations of Henan Yuexin Intelligent Machinery and Chief Designer of its 5G unmanned

smart mining initiative, “We run 40 electric unmanned vehicles for transportation and mining work, 30 of which are

transport vehicles. Their speed has increased from 15 km/h to 30 km/h. Our overall operating efficiency has been

greatly improved, productivity has increased by about 30%, and we’re saving about 12 million yuan per year in labor

costs.”

4G has changed our lives. 5G will change society. With 5G, miners can remotely control excavators in air-conditioned

rooms. This ensures worker safety, reassuring their families while also increasing mining efficiency.

China Molybdenum workers remotely operating an excavator over a 5G network

164 Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.