5G goes underground: A Proof-of-Concept Using Digital Twin for Real-time Control and Monitoring

5G is considered as the first mobile technology developed for industrial use cases. It is designed to offer reliable, low latency, and high bandwidth connectivity for different industry sectors including mining [1]. The technology provides new opportunities to renew mining operational principles and approaches including automated operations, safety, remote control and monitoring, asset management, and proactive maintenance. The 5G networks are evolving from public 5G Non-standalone (NSA) networks towards private 5G standalone (SA) networks allowing more industry-tailored network configurations. This paper represents a Proof-of-Concept implementation that combines the potentials of a private 5G SA network and a digital twin to support the automation and virtualization of underground mines. Our trial results showed that 5G and digital twin technologies are getting mature enough to support the digitalization and automation of underground mines.