--- title: "Mine Accommodation Camps" path: "/solutions/mining-resources/mine-accommodation-camps" type: "term:solution_scenarios" updated: 2026-01-30 description: "Reliable mobile coverage in mine camps remains a persistent challenge for accommodation providers. For workers on long swings away from home, the ability to call or video chat with family is widely recognised as essential for maintaining mental health. In remote areas where…" --- # Mine Accommodation Camps Reliable mobile coverage in mine camps remains a persistent challenge for accommodation providers. For workers on long swings away from home, the ability to call or video chat with family is widely recognised as essential for maintaining mental health. In remote areas where isolation can take a toll, mobile signal or Wi-Fi isn’t just about streaming or scrolling, it’s a vital connection to the outside world that supports morale, productivity, and staff retention. ## Causes of Poor Connectivity The cause of poor mobile coverage is inherently linked to the construction of demountable buildings and their tight layouts, meaning connectivity is often impacted even for camps located near town. Most ATCO-style buildings use steel or aluminium sheeting for external walls and roofing. These materials reflect and absorb RF energy in the cellular and WiFi ranges. They often have foil-backed insulation (like sarking or multi-foil bubble wrap) inside walls and ceilings to reflect heat. This foil acts like a Faraday cage, trapping signals inside or blocking them from entering, especially when combined with metal cladding. It's an unfortunate reality that the materials that help insulate and make buildings comfortable are those which block phone signal and WiFi. Another challenge is network congestion. Remote cell towers are often simple, designed to maximise coverage rather than capacity. As every user competes for 'airtime' with everyone else, available capacity can vary wildly between shifts - when everyone arrives back at camp, the network is suddenly faces an influx of traffic. [Learn more about the factors affecting mobile coverage](/node/12) ## Improving Mobile Coverage for Camps The good news is that it is possible to enhance mobile coverage of your camp no matter whether it's an existing or new build. ### Mobile Coverage Report The first step is situational awareness - understanding where the local towers are, what tower you'll be connected to, and who you are sharing it with. As part of our scoping process, Axidra will complete a comprehensive Desktop Survey report that covers 4G and 5G network availability for your site. You can also request an obligation-free report into mobile coverage for your site by filling out the form below. [Request Coverage Report](/contact/) ### WiFi Internet is Essential When considering what to install, priority number one should be preserving the mobile network's airtime by providing an alternative to mobile data. This is important to remaining in good relations with the local community in which the camp resides. LEO satellite services such as Starlink have made providing an internet connection in remote areas cheaper and easier than ever. Large camps will likely need a dedicated fixed-line internet service, or to bond multiple Starlink services together to enhance capacity and reliability. While we don't provide internet connections, we're happy to recommend partners who can. Depending on its quality, broadband internet can also provide Voice-over-WiFi (VoWiFi), allowing users to make and receive calls even without mobile signal. It's not perfect but it can be enough. [Learn more about Voice-over-WiFi](/node/13) ### Boosting Mobile Coverage A common pitfall is attempting to boost mobile coverage using individual Cel-Fi repeaters. Cel-Fi boosters are a great way to improve coverage in one specific building, but you'll quickly find out the approach doesn't scale - both financially and technically. By the third or fourth Cel-Fi they'll start to interfere with each other, users will notice their signal quality deteriorate to the point it becomes unusable. [Learn more about Repeaters](/node/13) ### Small Cells One good solution is to have the mobile network operator install a Small Cell. This is a miniaturised cellular base station that transmits new mobile coverage with dedicated capacity for a few hundred users. Disadvantages of this approach are costs and timeframes. Because they are part of the network operator's radio access infrastructure, extensive planning is required. Timeframes to have a Small Cell installed can be 6 to 12 months, and negotiations are notoriously difficult. ## In-Building Coverage Systems **The most effective solution to poor mine camp coverage is an In-Building Coverage (IBC) system.** Depending on the size of the camp, this system will typically use one cellular repeater hub to obtain a connection from the local cell tower, and distribute it throughout a series of nodes placed in front of each accommodation block. Ethernet or fibre optic cabling runs from the distribution hub to each node. IBC is most similar to DAS, but focuses on remediation of poor coverage rather than creating new coverage. As both IBC and WiFi use ethernet cabling they are typically installed using the same conduits and trays. This makes IBC affordable and without the risk that comes from specialised telecommunications cabling. This system needs to be professionally designed and coordinated with the mobile network operator, but the good news is approval processes are quick and equipment readily available. [Request an IBC Quote](/node/3) ## Related - [Mining & Resources](https://axidra.com.au/solutions/mining-resources.md): Battling some of the harshest and most remote environments on earth, uptime is everything. Axidra delivers resilient, high-performance in-building connectivity systems for the energy and resources sector – engineered to meet the demands of critical communications, autonomous…