Tidal Wave and Consort Digital complete India’s first 5G mission-critical pilot at a mine

Tidal Wave Technologies and Consort Digital completed a proof of concept for 5G-based mission-critical communications at the Amlohri Coal Mine on 6 October 2025. The pilot tied Consort’s MCX ONE mission-critical platform to a private 5G network provided by Tidal Wave and ran live tests with drones, cameras and environmental sensors on site. The companies framed the effort as the first field demonstration of its kind for mines in India. 

The trial validated interoperability and system readiness by connecting devices from multiple original equipment manufacturers and operating MCX services over a private 5G core. Operators tested voice, video, and data flows between edge devices and the MCX ONE core to check end-to-end behaviour under realistic field conditions. Consort positions MCX ONE as a platform that supports push-to-talk, video and data over broadband and can interwork with narrowband systems such as TETRA. 

Both firms said the pilot demonstrates how private 5G can meet the reliability and security expectations of mission-critical use cases. Tidal Wave noted the PoC shows private 5G’s ability to deliver the performance and resilience required for operations in harsh industrial settings. Consort described the exercise as evidence that MCX-over-5G is ready for practical deployments and a pathway for moving from narrowband radio systems to broadband mission-critical services. 

The project also tested device and sensor integration specific to mining needs, including airborne drone feeds and environmental monitoring, to assess situational awareness and worker safety workflows. Participants reported the pilot met key objectives for scale and interoperability, and said they will continue joint product work for transport, utilities, mining, public safety and enterprise customers. The partners framed the package as a field-proven MCX-over-5G offering that can be adapted for other critical industries. 

Tidal Wave has pursued private 5G deployments for industrial customers and has recently selected OpenRAN small cell suppliers to extend its private network capabilities. Consort has been active in building MCX stacks that interoperate with 3GPP-based private networks and with existing narrowband systems. That background informed the Amlohri pilot and underpinned the technical choices made for the PoC. 

Industry watchers will look for the next step: how pilots translate into live rollouts, procurement choices by operators, and the vendor ecosystem that supports device certification and long-term operations in mines. For now, the Amlohri exercise provides a practical demonstration that private 5G and MCX platforms can work together in a demanding industrial environment and points to use cases where broadband mission-critical services could replace or extend narrowband systems.