On May 17, World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, China Unicom announced the establishment of nine industry task forces—covering areas such as smart mines—to serve key vertical sectors. These industry task forces represent China Unicom’s commitment to fulfilling national strategies and proactively integrating into the new development paradigm of the digital economy. They serve as a core force driving innovation‑driven, industry‑wide digital transformation and constitute an important step in implementing the company’s new strategy and strengthening its strategic business portfolio.

　　Among them, the “Smart Mine Corps (Shandong),” one of the first nine corps to be unveiled, was established under the joint leadership of China Unicom’s Shandong and Shanxi branches. The Corps actively responds to the national energy security strategy and fully implements the safety‑production requirements issued by the state and relevant ministries. With the mission of building mines that are safe, efficient, green, and intelligent, it adheres to the industry‑wide philosophy of “comprehensive situational awareness for safety, remote unmanned operation to drive intelligence, equipment interconnection and collaboration to boost efficiency, and smart energy management to ensure environmental sustainability.” Focusing on scenarios such as production safety, intelligent control, data analytics, environmental sensing, and operational management, the Corps has strengthened its capabilities in three core solution areas—5G‑enabled network deployment, intelligent equipment upgrades, and smart mine‑specific control systems—and independently developed an “Intelligent Integrated Mine Management Platform.” Through these efforts, it continues to advance the intelligent transformation and upgrading of the mining sector, steering the industry toward safer, greener, smarter, and more efficient operations.
　　
　　The mining industry is a key pillar of China’s economy. To enhance the safety and efficiency of coal‑mine operations, promote the integrated development of new technologies with the mining sector, and accelerate the digital transformation of mines, the National 14th Five-Year Plan and the 2035 Long‑Term Vision explicitly call for strengthening the innovative application of advanced technologies and equipment in areas such as deep‑level mining and the prevention and control of major disasters, while advancing the replacement of hazardous tasks with robots. In addition, eight ministries and commissions, including the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration, have jointly issued the “Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Intelligent Development of Coal Mines,” and the National Mine Safety Administration has released the “Guiding Opinions on Strengthening Safety Work in Non‑Coal Mines.” As a result, the intelligentization of mines has become a national priority.
　　
　　Following its establishment, the group will focus on differentiated market segments, foster synergistic collaboration, and accelerate the expansion of its footprint in the mining sector. Leveraging the advantages of “cloud‑network integration,” it will build a nationwide common‑platform and industry‑enabling platform—the “Mining Cloud” platform—enabling coordinated control and seamless integration across multiple business systems. The company has pioneered cutting‑edge mining‑specific 5G switches, intrinsically safe base stations, and customized intelligent BBUs, enabling remote operation of underground mining activities and facilitating reduced‑man and unmanned mining processes, thereby significantly enhancing workplace safety and markedly elevating the level of mine automation. In alignment with the national “Sail” Action Plan for 5G Applications, the group is establishing the Shandong Smart Mine Ecosystem Alliance to jointly advance industry–academia–research–application collaboration. It has also partnered with two leading enterprises, Shandong Energy Group and Shandong Gold Group, to set up a 5G Joint Laboratory, collaboratively exploring innovative pathways for smart‑mine development. Furthermore, drawing on China Unicom’s independent R&D capabilities, the group is engaging in industry–university–research cooperation with universities and teams of academicians and industry experts, thereby boosting both the efficiency and quality of its research and development efforts.
　　
　　To date, Shandong Unicom has provided tailored solutions for 45 mining projects across four provinces and municipalities nationwide. It has successfully deployed 16 demonstration projects spanning coal, gold, silver, and iron ore mines, including Baodian Coal Mine, Zhaolou Coal Mine, Dongtan Coal Mine, Linyi Zhonggang Iron Ore Mine, and Yinman Silver Mine in Inner Mongolia. Notably, the “Baodian Coal Mine 5G Smart Mine” was selected as one of the first batch of benchmark demonstration projects under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s “Ten Applications Across Five Key Industries.” Furthermore, the “5G+Smart Mine” project jointly submitted by Shandong Unicom and Shandong Energy Group won first prize in the national finals of the 4th “Bloom Cup” 5G Innovation Application Competition.
　　
　　Going forward, China Unicom’s Smart Mine Task Force will continue to serve as the “national team, main force, and vanguard,” closely aligning with national and industry needs, focusing on and deeply cultivating the mining sector, and adhering to a strategy of specialized development. Leveraging Unicom’s integrated cloud‑network advantages, and building on existing comprehensive coal‑mining mechanization, it will further integrate cutting‑edge technologies—including 5G, artificial intelligence, industrial IoT, cloud computing, big data, robotics, intelligent equipment, and broadband/narrowband communications—into the modern mineral resource development and utilization market. By addressing gaps in the smart‑mine value chain, the task force will collaborate with upstream and downstream partners to extend, refine, and strengthen the industrial ecosystem, steadily advancing the implementation of smart‑mine solutions, creating highly reliable, intelligent operational scenarios, driving 5G‑based innovation across the mining industry, and supporting the digital transformation and high‑quality development of the sector.