Operating a mining operation in a remote area, especially in a country with significant infrastructure shortcomings, presents a series of challenges which must be addressed at a strategic level, in order to ensure the long-term sustainability and viability of such operations.

A reliable communications platform directly back to the corporate head office provides a solid foundation for effective command and control and as-needed communications pathways for emergency management.

IP-centric satellite communications provides the flexibility that is required in order to support the cleanly partitioned carriage of traffic for the various arms-length entities operating on a modern mining operation,

This free paper briefly examines these aspects, as well as the emerging trend to support offsite operations, minimizing and shifting risk from a remote site to a well understood and controlled environment.