The partnership would see Auxilium deploying satellite connectivity from Inmarsat in its Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) offerings to the industry.

Auxilium founder Wayne Panther said IIoT was changing the mining industry and "fast leading to the emergence of safer, more efficient and more profitable ways of working".

"However, many mining companies struggle to obtain the requisite connectivity for IIoT data transfer or on-site communications and are often faced with making huge investments in terrestrial infrastructure," he said.

"With Inmarsat's satellite capability, we can eliminate the need for this investment and deliver robust and reliable connectivity that works wherever the mine is located. We reviewed several providers of satellite communications, even taking terminals and phones into the pit, and Inmarsat were the only provider whose connectivity worked wherever we were."

Inmarsat's L-band satellite network is said to provide up to 99.9% satellite availability and low latency data transmission for remote monitoring and automation applications.

The company's director of mining, Joe Carr said delivery of services to under-pressure miners via the Auxilium alliance, using managed services model, would reduce up-front investment and strain on capital expenditure budgets.

"Auxilium's expertise in creating technical solutions that solve key business challenges for mining companies is unparalleled," he said.

"Combined with Inmarsat's broad portfolio of connectivity services and the world's most reliable satellite connectivity experience, we believe that together we can provide the mining sector with a really compelling proposition."