How Epiroc & Ericsson Scaling Connectivity for Mining

Swedish headquartered Epiroc and telecommunications giant Ericsson are partnering through a global agreement to scale LTE and 5G connectivity for the mining industry.

Under the agreement, Epiroc will offer Ericsson’s technology through its customer centres worldwide, strengthening its portfolio in connectivity and digital solutions for mining.

Mining operations are increasingly transforming with digital innovation. Earlier this month, Epiroc announced it had won an order from Heidelberg Materials to adapt and implement autonomous solutions for driverless haul trucks.

Epiroc and Ericsson’s agreement

The partnership between the two companies provides its customers with a solution for deploying foundational wireless networks.

The offering is designed for both underground and surface operations. 

Paul Bergström, President of Epiroc’s Digital Solutions division, says: "Connectivity is becoming increasingly important as mining companies advance automation and digitalisation throughout their operations. 

“Together with Ericsson, we are strengthening our offering and helping customers build the robust communications infrastructure needed to enable safer, more efficient and more productive mining operations."

The agreement builds on a collaboration established in 2018, when Epiroc and Ericsson signed a cooperation agreement to explore how LTE and 5G technologies could be applied in mining operations.

Connectivity in mining operations

Analysis from McKinsey indicates that mining operations are as much as 28% less productive today than a decade ago.

The consulting firm argues that achieving a breakthrough on productivity performance demands rethinking how mining works, adding that it might be within the industry’s reach through digital and technology innovations.

McKinsey identified data, computational power and connectivity as a key area that had the potential to unlock new ways of enhancing variability and improving productivity. 

Enabling real operational impact

Communications infrastructure is playing an increasingly important role as mines deploy more connected equipment, remote operations, telemetry and digital tools.

Pankaj Malhotra, Head of Product and Engineering, Ericsson Enterprise Wireless Solutions, says: "This collaboration is about enabling real operational impact for mining customers, safer operations, higher productivity and greater efficiency. 

“By providing the connectivity foundation behind Epiroc’s digital and automation solutions, we are helping mining companies modernise operations at scale. 

“Our partnership with Epiroc is an important step in building the connected ecosystems that modern industrial enterprises depend on."

Advancing automation in mining

In a press release, Epiroc says through its collaboration with Ericsson, it further strengthens its position as a productivity partner, supporting its customers with solutions such as automation, situational awareness, collision avoidance and data-enabled machines, but also with the connectivity foundation required to scale these capabilities. 

The deployment of autonomous heavy mobile equipment globally could be ramped up by new connectivity solutions in the sector. Epiroc works on autonomous solutions with its autonomy platform LinkOA. 

In June 2026, Epiroc announced it had won an order from Heidelberg Materials, one of the world's largest integrated manufacturers of heavy building materials and solutions, to adapt and implement autonomous solutions for driverless haul trucks at a quarry in Australia.

Helena Hedblom, Epiroc’s President and CEO, says: “We are proud to partner with Heidelberg Materials to support them on their autonomous journey.

“Our LinkOA system is already a proven mining automation technology, and with this project we look forward to bringing the same productivity and safety benefits to the aggregates sector.”