Each year Mitteldeutsche Braunkohlengesellschaft mbH (MIBRAG) extracts around 19 million tons of lignite from its Profen and Vereinigtes Schleenhain opencast mines in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The company employs around 2,700 people in the group and is an major employer in the Central German region.
Safety is a top priority for MIBRAG, precise coordination can be vital for the employees in the district. In the extremely harsh environment of the open-cast mine and over a very large area and across several locations, they must therefore be able to communicate by radio at all times. Reliable voice communication is also necessary to ensure smooth and efficient operations. That's why the aging TETRA radio system was replaced by a latest generation Hytera ACCESSNET-T-IP® radio system.
A solution well received
Together with its partner Comtechnik Funk, Hytera Mobilfunk quickly renewed the TETRA radio network and migrated ACCESSNET-T-IP from Hytera during operation at MIBRAG. The switchover was seamless for the users, as none of the end devices used daily had to be reconfigured. The new radio system comprises thirteen DIB-R5 compact TETRA base stations, each with 2 carriers, and is largely redundant.
This highly available, high-performance TETRA radio network with redundant switching is used by around 800 participants (including machine operators, staff on the transport track, service personnel, the company's internal fire brigade) and coordinated by four dispatcher locations (two each in Profen and Vereinigtes Schleenhain). It is also connected to a higher-level umbrella management system and to the public telephone network.
Highlights of our solution
- Seamless migration of an ACCESSNET-T-IP® TETRA radio network during operation
- No reconfiguration of the end devices necessary
- Fully redundant switching and redundant radio coverage
- Connection to a higher-level management system (umbrella) and to the public telephone network
- Highly available network for up to 1000 participants
- Project implemented within a very short time
