--- title: Open-pit phosphate mine on Celona private 5G date: 2026-07-23T16:11:00+10:00 author: Pradhyum canonical_url: "https://celona.io/resources/phosphate-mine-connected-worker-private-5g" section: Resources --- / Case Study | Mining | Open-pit phosphate mine & processing plant # Open-pit phosphate mine on Celona private 5G An open-pit phosphate mine and its steel-and-concrete processing plant span 0.6 square miles of punishing indoor and outdoor RF. Celona private 5G blankets the entire site with just four outdoor AP11s — connecting 100+ worker devices for video, safety, and mapping apps, provisioned by eSIM through the customer’s MDM and dropped straight into the existing enterprise network. 4 APs cover the entire 0.6 sq-mi site 0.6 sq-mi pit + plant (~290 football fields) 100+ devices connected-worker fleet (50 active) eSIM + MDM zero-touch onboarding on the existing network / At a glance ## Whole-site coverage on four APs. ### \_01 The Challenge - Connected-worker apps failing across the pit and the plant - An open-pit mine (~30 ft deep) plus a steel-and-concrete plant - 0.6 sq mi (~290 football fields) of harsh indoor + outdoor RF - Needed reliable coverage for video, safety, and mapping apps ### \_02 The Solution - Four outdoor Celona AP11s cover the entire site - eSIM provisioning integrated with the customer’s MDM - Dropped straight into the existing enterprise network - Private 5G reaches into the pit and through the plant ### \_03 The Outcome - Reliable connected-worker coverage everywhere on site - Improved worker efficiency and safety - Real-time video analysis for remote troubleshooting - 100+ devices on video conferencing, safety apps, ArcGIS, and printing An open-pit phosphate producer wanted to put modern connected-worker tools in its people’s hands across the whole operation — an open-pit mine roughly 30 feet deep and a steel-and-concrete processing plant beside it. Together the two cover about 0.6 square miles, roughly 290 football fields, and between the open sky of the pit and the dense steel and concrete of the plant, it’s about as hard an RF environment as connectivity gets. Existing connectivity couldn’t keep workers reliably online across both. ## One private 5G layer, four APs Rather than blanket the site with dozens of Wi-Fi access points and the cabling to support them, Celona covered the entire operation — pit and plant — with just four outdoor AP11 access points. Private cellular’s transmit power and link budget carry into the open pit and punch through the plant’s steel and concrete far better than Wi-Fi per access point. The network dropped straight into the customer’s existing enterprise network, and devices onboard by eSIM, provisioned automatically through the customer’s mobile device management (MDM) — so adding a device is zero-touch, with no separate network to manage. ## What the workforce runs on it More than 100 devices — iPads, iPhones, and Dell laptops, with around 50 active at a time — now run their day-to-day tools over private 5G: video conferencing on FaceTime and Microsoft Teams, safety applications, web-based ArcGIS mapping, and network printing. The same coverage supports real-time video analysis, so an expert off-site can see what a worker sees and help troubleshoot in the moment. ## The outcome Workers stay connected everywhere on site, which shows up as better efficiency and, importantly, better safety — real-time video and reliable comms mean problems get seen and solved faster, and help is one call away anywhere in the pit or plant. All of it runs on four APs the IT team manages centrally, with no civil works to cover the site. At a Glance Customer**Open-pit phosphate mine & processing plant** Vertical**Mining** Facility**Open-pit mine (~30 ft deep) + steel-and-concrete plant; 0.6 sq mi** Location**Confidential** Spectrum**CBRS / private 5G** Solution - Celona private 5G — 4 outdoor AP11s, whole-site coverage - eSIM provisioning integrated with the customer’s MDM - Dropped into the existing enterprise network - Apps: FaceTime / Teams video, safety apps, web ArcGIS, network printing - Real-time video analysis for remote troubleshooting - Celona Edge + Orchestrator / Related resources ## Go deeper More resources on private wireless for the enterprise. [Whitepapers NEW ### Smart Mining with Private 5G Technology: Revolutionizing Industry In this white paper, the authors address how mining can be modernized by adopting private 5G technology to resolve current challenges, streamline processes, and open up new growth opportunities. Mining · Aug 2026 ](https://celona.io/resources/smart-mining-with-private-5g-technology-revolutionizing-industry) [Webinars NEW ### Data Desert to Digital Oasis with Edge Compute and Private 5G: Deploy Remote Field Operations in 48 Hours This webinar explores how organizations across energy, mining, utilities, and defense can overcome connectivity and data challenges at remote sites. Experts from Celona and Armada discuss how combining Private 5G networks with edge computing enables real-time analytics, data sovereignty, and AI-driven insights - all deployed in as little as 48 hours. It also explores practical use cases showing how this integrated approach drives operational efficiency, safety, and innovation in even the most challenging environments. Mining · Aug 2026 ](https://celona.io/resources/data-desert-to-digital-oasis-with-edge-compute-and-private-5g-deploy-remote-field-operations-in-48-hours) [Case Studies ### Mariana Minerals stood up a 400-acre autonomous copper mine on private 5G in ~35 days At Copper One in San Juan County, Utah, Mariana Minerals needed site-wide connectivity for an autonomous copper mine — fast. Celona private 5G replaced legacy Wi-Fi and manual data collection, covering the full 400-acre site with five outdoor radios in roughly 35 days from the first conversation, and became the communications backbone for MarianaOS. Mining · Jul 2026 ](https://celona.io/resources/mariana-minerals-autonomous-copper-mine-private-5g) [Access all Resources ](https://celona.io/resources) / Next step ## See what Celona Orion can do for your plant Talk to the team behind Del Conca's deployment, or take the platform for a spin. [ Request a demo → ](https://celona.io/contact-us) [ Explore the platform → ](https://celona.io/manufacturing)