Wi-Fi and LTE both rely on fixed infrastructure. A Wi-Fi client must disconnect from one access point before connecting to the next, creating a handoff gap. On a moving truck, excavator or autonomous vehicle, that gap stops the application. LTE has the same problem in remote or underground environments where carrier coverage simply does not reach.

Rajant Kinetic Mesh works differently at the architecture level:

• Every BreadCrumb® node holds multiple simultaneous connections across multiple frequencies at the same time
• Rajant’s patented InstaMesh® protocol selects the fastest available path for every data packet in real time
• If a path is blocked or interrupted, traffic reroutes to another connection instantly, with no dropped packets
• There is no controller node, so there is no single point of failure
• Mobile assets carry their connectivity with them, enabling true vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications

For operations running autonomous haulage, remote machine control, or real-time SCADA across a dynamic site, this architecture difference is not a preference. It is a hard requirement. A network that drops connections stops autonomous trucks. Rajant does not drop connections.

For more on why network reliability is a safety issue, read: Why Mine Site Safety Starts with the Network.

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Yes. Rajant was specifically designed to address the limitations of fibre and copper in underground environments. Fibre is expensive to install in active drives and panels, creates scheduling conflicts, and is frequently damaged when trucks catch and rip down cable runs. When fibre goes down in an underground mine, the entire connected network can go with it.

Rajant Kinetic Mesh provides a robust wireless alternative with the following characteristics suited to underground operations:

• BreadCrumb® nodes deploy on fixed infrastructure, mobile equipment, and on the tunnel walls or ribs using standard mounting
• The Poynting wideband circular-polarised antenna system propagates signals around tunnel bends and to and from moving machinery
• Nodes can be cascaded 10 hops or more without throughput degradation, making it practical to cover long declines
• The network supplements or replaces existing fibre and cable hot-spot systems via vertical shaft access levels, portals, and tunnels
• Applications supported include: autonomous haulage, LHD tele-operation, personnel and asset tracking via MeshTracer®, seismic and gas monitoring, ventilation control, and mine-wide SCADA

Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek open-cut mine in New South Wales adopted Rajant Kinetic Mesh for its Hitachi autonomous fleet after other wireless systems failed to meet performance requirements. Rajant is the central wireless network partner for Hitachi’s autonomous haulage systems globally, deployed across more than 200 of the world’s largest mines.

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Yes, and it is the network of choice for autonomous haulage systems (AHS) operating in Australian mines. Autonomous haulage has a hard requirement that most wireless networks cannot meet: the network must never break. When an autonomous truck loses communication, it stops. Every stop is a safety event, a production loss, and a potential collision risk with following vehicles.

Rajant is the only wireless network that enables true vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, which is why Hitachi Construction Machinery selected it as their central wireless network partner for AHS globally. The key capabilities relevant to autonomous operations are:

• No connections need to break for new ones to form as trucks move through the pit
• V2V communication allows autonomous trucks to talk directly to each other, not just to fixed infrastructure, creating an autonomous mesh network that manages their own movements
• BreadCrumbs on moving equipment dynamically form connections with fixed infrastructure nodes as they come into range
• InstaMesh® selects the best available path, maintaining throughput and low latency even during signal blockage from highwalls or equipment
• Up to 2.3Gbps throughput per node with no recurring licence fees after purchase

Australian operations using autonomous haulage at scale include Roy Hill in the Pilbara (78 haul trucks) and Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek in northwest NSW. The safety implications of network reliability for autonomous fleets are significant and well documented.

For the technical case on AHS connectivity requirements, see: Mine-to-network connectivity, CIM Magazine.

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Large civil construction and tunnelling sites in Australia present two connectivity problems that Wi-Fi and LTE cannot solve: linear sites stretching tens of kilometres with no LTE coverage, and underground tunnel bores where fixed infrastructure cannot be installed during active excavation.

Australia currently has several major projects underway or commencing shortly that face exactly these challenges:

• Melbourne Suburban Rail Loop (SRL East) — 16km twin tunnels between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley, tunnelling commencing 2026
• Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport link — TBM operations underway connecting The Bays to Hunter Street
• Brisbane Cross River Rail — underground rail tunnels through Brisbane CBD
• Melbourne West Gate Tunnel and ongoing highway upgrade programmes across QLD, NSW, WA, and VIC

Rajant Kinetic Mesh solves the connectivity challenges on these sites in two specific ways:

• For linear surface sites: BreadCrumb nodes extend GPS base station corrections across the full project length with just two base stations, eliminating multiple survey grids and the reconciliation errors that create contract liability
• For tunnel bores: RCP-2450 antennas paired with BreadCrumb nodes extend coverage up to one kilometre per node through bends and obstructions, with Reios real-time personnel tracking protecting workers throughout the active bore

No fixed infrastructure is required during the build phase, which means the network adapts as the tunnel advances without rescheduling or cable installation downtime.

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Rajant Kinetic Mesh is already deployed across Australian operations, and adoption is accelerating as autonomous technology and IIoT requirements increase across multiple sectors. Key areas of current and growing adoption include:

• Pilbara, WA — open pit iron ore and gold operations running autonomous haul truck fleets at scale. Roy Hill, BHP, and Rio Tinto operations in this region represent the most advanced AHS deployments in the world and require 99.5% network uptime as a baseline standard
• Hunter Valley and NSW coalfields — open cut coal mines including Whitehaven Coal’s Maules Creek operation, where Rajant was selected after competing wireless systems failed to meet autonomous haulage performance requirements
• QLD mining and resources corridor — Bowen Basin coal, north QLD copper and zinc, and Townsville-based operations across multiple commodity types
• Major civil infrastructure projects — Sydney Metro, Melbourne SRL, Brisbane Cross River Rail and ongoing highway upgrade programmes require connectivity during construction that fixed infrastructure cannot provide
• Australian ports — DP World, Patrick Terminals, and other container terminal operators are investing in automation of gantry cranes, straddle carriers, and reach stackers, all of which require continuous wireless connectivity as equipment moves through container stacks
• Agricultural operations — broadacre farming in WA, QLD, and NSW with autonomous tractors and UGVs requiring coverage across thousands of hectares where LTE does not reach

Infrastructure Australia’s 2026 Infrastructure Priority List specifically flags ports capacity and connectivity as a national priority, creating a clear procurement pipeline for wireless network upgrades at major maritime hubs.

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Rajant Kinetic Mesh is engineered for rapid deployment and minimal ongoing management, which is critical in mining and construction environments where dedicated IT resources are rarely available on site.

Deployment characteristics:

• BreadCrumb nodes are plug-and-play after initial configuration. New nodes added to the network automatically discover neighbouring nodes and begin routing without outside intervention
• The network is self-forming and self-healing. If a node goes down, the network reroutes around it in real time with no manual action required
• Nodes can be relocated as a site changes, such as when a pit expands or a tunnel advances, without reconfiguring the entire network
• The network scales to up to 600 nodes while maintaining performance, and grows stronger as density increases because each new node adds additional routing paths
• InstaMesh® software is pre-loaded on every BreadCrumb node and included for the life of the hardware. There are no recurring licence fees

Ongoing management requirements:

• No dedicated network engineers are required for day-to-day operation
• The network continuously self-optimises in response to changing environmental and operational conditions
• SmartTech Australia provides national installation, commissioning, and support across Brisbane, Townsville, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth

To discuss deployment timelines and requirements for your specific site, contact our team directly.

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