Tunneling is one of the most hazardous projects in engineering and construction. Of the myriad dangers present rockbursts account for 50% of all fatalities in tunneling. A rockburst is the sudden, violent dislocation of rocks in a tunnel from the walls, roof or floor.

During day-to-day operations underground communication is limited to line-of-sight radios, Wi-Fi, mesh or leaky feeder. In the event of a rockburst or other emergency event, risk of communication loss is extremely high.

Having portable, reliable day-to-day communications and a redundant solution in emergency situations would provide significant efficiency, productivity and safety benefits.