Nokia and Alcon to deploy first private LTE network in Americas supporting lithium mining

Nokia has been chosen by Sigma Lithium, a global lithium producer, to deploy the first private LTE wireless campus network in the Americas that supports lithium mining.

Nokia will work with partner Alcon to roll out the private wireless network, which will support 200 Sigma employees and add innovative mining applications that boost productivity and operational efficiency.

As the world converts to more energy-efficient vehicles to combat climate change, lithium exploration globally is expected to increase more than 10 times by 2035.

Sigma produced record amounts of Triple Zero Green Lithium at its Brazil plant in 2023 and its Quintuple Zero Green Lithium was recognized at COP28 as the most sustainable lithium in the world.

With the addition of a Nokia private LTE network based on Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (Nokia DAC), the company is ratcheting up its goal to produce next-generation EV batteries in a carbon neutral, socially and environmentally sustainable manner, the company said.

The network connects workers with certified ruggedized devices, industrial edge computing and a catalog of ecosystem-neutral applications contribute to the creation of a safer working environment and enhance productivity and operational efficiency with crucial mining apps such as dispatch, push-to-talk and push-to-video, and smart badge systems.

 “This exciting collaboration with Alcon will bring robust connectivity to Sigma Lithium and accelerate digitalization,” David de Lancelloti, VP, enterprise campus edge business at Nokia, said in the statement.  

“Dedicated, mission-critical connectivity connecting industrial devices and applications is at the heart of revolutionizing the way the mining sector operates – keeping employees safe and enabling high-performance operations that deliver results.”