Ranchi: Union Minister for Coal and Mines, G. Kishan Reddy, inaugurated the ‘5G Use Case Test Lab’ on Thursday at the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute (CMPDI) in Ranchi. This cutting-edge facility aims at advancing the coal sector’s digital transformation and technological landscape. The 5G Use Case Test Lab serves as a testbed for the development, testing, and adaptation of various 5G-based applications, tailored to meet the needs of the coal industry. The Ministry of Coal has nominated CMPDI as the Centre of Excellence (COE) for establishing the 5G Use Case Test Lab for the coal industry to leverage 5G technology effectively.

The minister appreciated CMPDI and noted that it has always been a pioneer of innovation. Through relentless research and development, CMPDI is making mining safer, more efficient, and environmentally sustainable. The establishment of the 5G Centre of Excellence Lab further cements CMPDI’s leadership in leveraging cutting-edge technologies to meet the evolving challenges of the mining sector.

Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Vikram Dev Dutt; Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Vismita Tej; Chairman, Coal India Limited (CIL), P.M. Prasad; CMD, CMPDI, Manoj Kumar; CMD, Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), Nilendu Kumar Singh; CMD, Eastern Coalfields Ltd (ECL), Satish Jha, and other senior officers and dignitaries attended the inauguration ceremony.

The minister also unveiled the ‘Replica of CMPDI services’ sculpture, made from scrap material from CMPDI such as delivery hose pipes, NQ drilling rods, and core boxes. This sculpture showcases CMPDI’s commitment to sustainable practices through intricate depictions of its core services—geomatics, exploration, planning and design, and environmental monitoring. This art installation not only reflects CMPDI’s operational strengths but also emphasises the importance of recycling industrial waste to create meaningful and sustainable art. The minister also inaugurated the new corporate logo of CMPDI.

5G Use Case Lab

The 5G Use Case Lab established by CMPDI is a lab-scale representation of an Industry 5G Private Network, specifically designed to support the coal mining industry. This lab will serve as a testing and development hub for integrating 5G radio and core technologies with 5G-enabled devices, as well as with edge/cloud enterprise IT/OT applications and equipment. The 5G Use Case Lab for the coal industry will become a key pillar supporting projects and digital transformation journeys in the coal industry.

The lab outlines the requirements and different innovative use cases and applications in the coal mining industry associated with the test lab. It focuses on the testing and development of 5G use cases such as voice, video, and data communication applications; Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensors for vehicle management; and other applications over the 5G network. It aims to create a scalable and replicable model that mirrors a real-world industry 5G private network setup, consisting of 5G radio and core systems compatible with edge/cloud IT/OT applications.

By connecting a wide range of IoT applications, including surveillance cameras, sensor-integrated machines, predictive maintenance systems, and automated machinery, CIL will benefit from real-time data exchange, improved decision-making, and streamlined operations. The implementation of a 5G network by Coal India Limited (CIL) will significantly enhance the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of its mining operations. As the network is a private captive network, the data generated during the operations remains with CIL.

BI Bureau