Telecommunicationsfor mines in Greenland

2

Contents

Introduction 3 Phases 3 Preliminary exploration 3 Exploration phase 3 Construction phase 4 Production phase 4 Winding-up phase 4 Connections 4 Telecommunications infrastructure 4 Connecting the mines to the telecommunications network 4 Iridium 5 BGAN 5 VSAT 6 Fixed disc 6 Link 6 Climatic conditions 7 Telephone and Data capacity 7

3

In recent years, there has been a significant in-crease in the proliferation of mines in Green-land The financial crisis has resulted in some setbacks, however, with some projects being postponed, and the Olivine mine has closed, for example

TELE Greenland has been extensively involved in developments so far and has assisted the mining companies in setting up the necessary and desired telecommunications

Many of the projects TELE has been involved in have been in the Exploration phase, and the extent of the telecommunications established must of course be viewed in relation to the anticipated yield

PhasesThe extent and nature of TELE communications for the mines is determined by 1) the particular phase of the project, and 2) the scope and value of finds that will be ascertained in the initial phases; 3) the geographical location; and 4) the location in relation to the rest of the TELE Greenland Telenet

The five phases are as follows:• Preliminary study• Exploration phase• Construction phase• Production phase• Winding-up phase

Preliminary explorationAll work is done in the open field, i e transport is on foot or by helicopter Here, Iridium can be used A VHF Repeater can also be established, whereby handheld VHF radios can be used within a limited area Data communications with Iridium and BGAN However, BGAN can only be used within the area of coverage

Exploration phaseMany test drillings are conducted There can be quite a lot of people in the mine area Sleeping and living quarters are established, with the requirement to be able to send e-mails and use the Internet For example, it is possible to set up VSAT

Introduction

4

As of early spring 2011, the following exploration and preliminary exploration sites have involved TELE:

• Black Angel, Maamorilik• Hudson Resources, Sarfartoq• Nuna Minerals, Qusssuk and Storøen• London Mining, the Isua project Godthåbfjorden

Construction phaseRoads, a harbour and possibly and airstrip are estab-lished The use of heavy machinery is involved The number of people in the mine area can range from 50 to 500, and the area can be anything from a few hundred metres to more than 100 km

The requirement for TELE communications can range from a VSAT all the way through to complete solutions for a settlement

There have been a number of enquiries where TELE has submitted an offer, but which have not resulted in the involvement of TELE Greenland

Production phaseExtraction has commenced

The existing mine operation sites where TELE Green-land is involved are the gold mine near Nalunaq

Winding-up phaseIn connection with winding up, it has proved reason-ably straightforward for the mining company to sell equipment second hand, e g VSAT to other mining projects

Connections

Telecommunications infrastructureIn recent years, TELE Greenland’s telecommunications network has expanded strongly, partly as a result of the new submarine cable, partly with the expansion of the radio chain on the west coast from Uumman-naq to Nanortalik, and partly because the IP network has been extensively upgraded Connections to the settlements have been greatly expanded

The submarine cable has brought about a ten-fold increase in the speed of telecommunications between Greenland and the rest of the world com-pared to today’s satellite connections for telephony, data and Internet alike

Villages and settlements, and hence also mines out-side the radio chain will still have a connection with the rest of Greenland and the rest of the world via satellite, however But there will be significantly more

capacity available, because traffic to the west coast along the radio chain will no longer take up satellite capacity

All along the west coast from Nanortalik to Uumman-naq, it is possible to get directly onto the information highway, because the submarine cable and the new radio chain provide significantly faster Internet, data communications and telephony Essentially, with the submarine cable, the villages and settlements of Greenland are just as centrally located in the global telecommunications network as New York City

TELE realises the vision of „Greenland in the centre of the world“ by investing in modern tele communications Having a proper tele-coms infrastructure is in-creasingly important to Greenland’s commerce, societal institutions, citi-zens and its entire eco-nomic development

Connecting the mines to thetelecommunications networkTo connect Greenland’s telecommunications net-work with telecommunications in an individual mine, depending on conditions, either a link to the radio chain or a satellite link can be used Iridium, BGAN or VSAT can provide simple connections

Mo

bili

tyLO

W

HIG

H

Data capacityLOW HIGH

IRIDIUM Mini-M

BGAN

VSAT

Stationaryparabolic antenna

LINK

KALAALLIT NUNAAT NUNARSUUP QEQ

QA

NI

GRE

EN

LAND IN THE CENTRE OF THE WO

RLD

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IridiumNo matter how isolated your location in Greenland, you can communicate with the world around you us-ing an Iridium satellite telephone

Iridium is the only satellite telephone system that covers the whole of Greenland Handheld communi-cations are via 66 low-earth orbiting (LEO) satellites which move in polar orbit around the earth, and the system is particularly suitable for conditions in Greenland

Each satellite has 48 spot beams, so any site with unobstructed line of site to the satellite is covered

To use the Iridium telephone indoors, it is most prac-tical to have a fixed-line telephone with an outdoor aerial This way, it is possible to call people in the field at home from the office at the lowest Iridium rate The fixed line telephone will normally also be on all the time, unlike the mobile, where people want to save the battery This means it is not always possible to make contact with people out in the field

It would be a good idea to equip people in the area with a pager A pager can be kept in a breast pocket, and unlike a telephone, there is no need to have it at your ear with the aerial facing upwards with an unobstructed line of sight The pager is even ca-pable of detecting the signal in a concrete building or on an aircraft A stand-alone pager with its own subscription can be arranged, i e without an Iridium telephone

BGANThe next generation of professional wireless satel-lite communications BGAN is one of the best mobile terminal solutions for telephone, broadband and fax

The special BGAN terminal is designed for the Inter-net and is capable of transferring media presenta-tions from harsh, deserted surroundings

BGAN is a super broadband unit that uses satel-lite to give you outstanding communications options via phone, fax and video conferencing The terminal is perfectly designed for sending large quantities of data in harsh surroundings where other types of communications might give up

BGAN comprises an integrated lightweight aerial and receiver that can be directly connected to a laptop BGAN enables you to communicate with virtually the whole world, via very powerful BGAN satellites

Inmarsat has relocated the BGAN satellites, and this has resulted in a reduced cover in northern and east-ern Greenland

BGAN offers you these unique possibilities:

• Simultaneous phone and data communications• Full duplex telephony• Telephony and fax services• Coverage throughout most of the world• Standard LAN, USB, Bluetooth and phone/fax ports• Can be charged using solar cells• Small, lightweight aerial integrated with receiver,

but with the option of connecting the aerial to the receiver via a cable so that the aerial can be placed on a windowsill

• Compact mobile unit, no larger than a laptop bag• Designed to be highly resistant to moisture, dust

and high or low temperatures• Easy to set up and quick to dismantle

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VSATVSAT is a semi-mobile satellite solution VSAT con-nects via Intelsat 903 to a HUB at Copenhagen Tele-port (CTP) At the customer’s site, access to the In-ternet and telephony is via a 2 4m dish, a modem, a switch and a telephone Gateway The phones are connected to a CTP switchboard with a Greenland telephone number in the 19xxxx series, and connec-tion to the Internet is via an MPLS connection at CTP

Unobstructed line of site to the satellite is vital If the available mapping material cannot be used, it will be necessary to conduct an actual physical survey to es-tablish current physical and geographical conditions VSAT can be dismantled and set up elsewhere rea-sonably quickly and inexpensively

Fixed dishA solution involving a fixed dish is typically used where the distance from the TELE radio chain is too great

A ground station with a fixed dish will require a 2 4m or 3 7m dish for a small-scale model or up to 4 9m for a village solution For the small-scale model, however, TELE prefers a 3 7m dish because a larger dish requires considerably less transmission output to upload the same bandwidth

Unobstructed line of site to the satellite is vital If the available mapping material cannot be used, it will be necessary to conduct an actual physical sur-vey to establish current physical and geographical conditions

Satellite solutions in Greenland are characterised by two different factors: capacity and mobility Capac-ity depends on the selected satellite; the closer to Greenland, the better, but it also depends whether the satellite’s antennae are directed towards Green-land, i e spot beam, or whether the antennae simply point towards the earth, i e global beam

TELE Greenland mainly uses two Intel satellites, IS903 at 325 5° east and IS907 at 332 5° east Both satellites use spot beam over Greenland This implies that, using a large 11m dish, the signal can be re-ceived even up in Qaanaaq The dishes are typically incorporated into permanent ground stations, so mobility is very limited

An SCPC (Single channel per Carrier) communica-tions link is used between the mine and Nuuk Using this solution enables GSM to be established in the area

LinkA micro link is connecting a terminal station at each endpoint Where geographical and physical condi-tions require it, a repeater must be set up between terminal stations to guarantee the connection and appropriate transmission quality between the two endpoints, this is described as a radio chain solution

TELE offers delivery of high-quality radio link so-lutions that satisfies the physical and geographical conditions for use of these systems

TELE’s offering is a high-quality product because apart from delivery of the solution, TELE is also subse-quently able to provide operation and maintenance services for the supplied solution However, TELE can only undertake this obligation/task if the equipment used matches TELE’s existing product range and in-frastructure

Between the two terminal stations, there must be free line of sight, because the radio waves can-not make allowance for any obstructions in the area (such as mountains, hills, tall buildings); in other words, the radio waves do not „seek“ a path around such obstacles

It should also be noted that, if there is free line of sight between the two terminal stations, the first aspect of this condition is met, but there must also be a certain „clearance“ to enable the signals to move freely between the two terminal stations It is only possible to clarify whether there is sufficient clear-ance by preparing a area calculation and profile of height, to illustrate these conditions

If it emerges that there is insufficient „clearance“, this can be dealt with by setting up antenna masts and, if these are too high, identifying alternative loca-tions for one or both terminal stations

Calculation of „clearance“, antenna and mast

IS903 coverage

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height requires the preparation of a section calcula-tion with preparation of section profiles based on us-able mapping material – these calculations are typi-cally called a desktop study

If the available mapping material cannot be used, it will be necessary to conduct an actual physical survey to establish current physical and geographi-cal conditions between the two points that are to be connected

If the customer has what it takes to carry out this preliminary study, TELE will specify the details and information required, or alternatively TELE can carry out a preliminary study on behalf of the customer

Climatic conditionsClimatic conditions also have a major influence on the quality of a connection because precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, etc ) has a major influence on sig-nal distribution (of the radio waves), so precipitation can „prevent“ the desired signal from penetrating at the desired strength

Climatic influences can be compensated for by in-creasing the transmission output and by using larger and/or better antennas

Climatic conditions in Greenland mean that radio chain frequencies and antenna sizes that are normal-ly very widespread in Europe can only rarely be used for connections in Greenland if a quality connection is required

Low temperatures, icing over and very high wind speeds must also be taken into account

Telephone and Data capacityCreating a connection from TELE Greenland’s radio chain or satellite connections to the mine can be regarded as the foundations of a new building; the interesting point here, however, is the actual „build-ing“ that goes on top of that, i e the services TELE is able to offer

As an example of a building, mobile telephony and 3G mobile broadband can be established via a link connection All employees can thus make phone calls and access the Internet for personal and work use Employees can use their own mobile phones, and their own 3G USB dongle on their personal PC, or for work, this can be provided by the employer

The table below shows a summary of available ser-vices and bandwidths for individual connections

Mob

ility

LOW

H

IGH

Data capacityLOW HIGH

IRIDIUM Mini-M

BGAN

VSAT

Stationaryparabolic antenna

LINK

Iridium BGAN VSAT

Stationary parabolic antenna– small

Stationary parabolicantenna– large

LINK

Telephony

PSTN 1 2 Standard 4 telephones up to 24

4 telephone-lines

like a settle-ment

like a settle-ment

ISDN 1

VoIP yes yes yes yes yes

GSM maximum of 4 channels

like a settle-ment

like a settle-ment

Fax via an adapter

yes yes yes like a settle-ment

like a settle-ment

DATA Direct

Internet

max 10

kbps

IP up to

493 kbps

upload max

512 kbps

download

max 2 Mbps

1/1 Mbps 4 Mbps from 2 Mbps to 155 Mbps

file trans-

fer 2,4

kbps

streaming

up to 256

kbps

MPLS like a settle-ment

like a settle-ment

TV

(DVB-T)

on 4,2m

parabolic

antenna

yes yes

TELE Greenland A/S provides telecommunications to all of Greenland – towns and settle-ments – fjords and coastline

We provide telephony and inter net servic-es to all towns and settlements with more than 70 inhabitants. We have a universal service obligation, yet this also includes the concession for providing telecommu-nications throughout Greenland.

In recent years, the backbone network has been extensively enlarged. These efforts include a seabed fibre cable – Greenland Connect – linking Greenland to North America and Iceland in respec-tive directions. From Iceland the connec-

tions extend to Denmark and the rest of Europe. The Radio Link extends from Uummannaq to Nanortalik and has been extensively enlarged. Although the com-missioning of Greenland Connect has made a lot more satellite capacity avail-able, TELE Greenland has increased this capacity anyway.

Obviously, providing telephony and internet services for oil exploration, and the new mines in Greenland is a challeng-ing task, but it is a challenge we are fully capable of meeting. We are experienced in dealing with the unpredictable Green-land climate, geography and diversity from north to south.

Naturally the telecommunications re-

quirements – from the initial phases of tests to actual production – are very dif-ferent. The early phases can probably be handled with a few Iridium telephones, whereas the operating phase can require telecommunications on a much larger

scale, in which, a connection to the Greenland telephone grid is established via the Radio Link or a satellite link.

The table below shows the options available via the individual solutions:

TELE Greenland A/S · TFO · P.O.Box 1002 · DK-3900 Nuuk · GreenlandTel: +299 34 12 55 · www.telepost.gl

Point of contact: Uffe Fabriciusufj@tele.gl

Mob

ility

LOW

H

IGH

Data capacityLOW HIGH

IRIDIUM Mini-M

BGAN

VSAT

Stationaryparabolic antenna

LINK

Iridium BGAN VSAT

Stationary parabolic antenna– small

Stationary parabolicantenna– large

LINK

Telephony

PSTN 1 2 Standard 4 telephones up to 24

4 telephone-lines

like a settle-ment

like a settle-ment

ISDN 1

VoIP yes yes yes yes yes

GSM maximum of 4 channels

like a settle-ment

like a settle-ment

Fax via an adapter

yes yes yes like a settle-ment

like a settle-ment

DATA Direct

Internet

max 10

kbps

IP up to

493 kbps

upload max

512 kbps

download

max 2 Mbps

1/1 Mbps 4 Mbps from 2 Mbps to 155 Mbps

file trans-

fer 2,4

kbps

streaming

up to 256

kbps

MPLS like a settle-ment

like a settle-ment

TV

(DVB-T)

on 4,2m

parabolic

antenna

yes yes

TELE Greenland A/S provides telecommunications to all of Greenland – towns and settle-ments – fjords and coastline

We provide telephony and inter net servic-es to all towns and settlements with more than 70 inhabitants. We have a universal service obligation, yet this also includes the concession for providing telecommu-nications throughout Greenland.

In recent years, the backbone network has been extensively enlarged. These efforts include a seabed fibre cable – Greenland Connect – linking Greenland to North America and Iceland in respec-tive directions. From Iceland the connec-

tions extend to Denmark and the rest of Europe. The Radio Link extends from Uummannaq to Nanortalik and has been extensively enlarged. Although the com-missioning of Greenland Connect has made a lot more satellite capacity avail-able, TELE Greenland has increased this capacity anyway.

Obviously, providing telephony and internet services for oil exploration, and the new mines in Greenland is a challeng-ing task, but it is a challenge we are fully capable of meeting. We are experienced in dealing with the unpredictable Green-land climate, geography and diversity from north to south.

Naturally the telecommunications re-

quirements – from the initial phases of tests to actual production – are very dif-ferent. The early phases can probably be handled with a few Iridium telephones, whereas the operating phase can require telecommunications on a much larger

scale, in which, a connection to the Greenland telephone grid is established via the Radio Link or a satellite link.

The table below shows the options available via the individual solutions:

TELE Greenland A/S · TFO · P.O.Box 1002 · DK-3900 Nuuk · GreenlandTel: +299 34 12 55 · www.telepost.gl

Point of contact: Uffe Fabriciusufj@tele.gl