CANADIAN wireless communications firm Active Control Technology said Thursday "significant advancement" has been made to bring its ActiveMine system to federal approval.

"Active Control management believes that it is entering the final iteration of the MSHA approval process for two core ActiveMine components: the system's wireless mesh node modules and RFID Wi-Fi tags," said company officials.

"The nodes are placed in operating areas of mines and form the wireless backbone of the ActiveMine network system; the RFID tags enable accurate, real-time tracking of people and assets."

Active Control said it believes, thanks to recent progress with the US Mine Safety and Health Administration, that the company is "positioned to table" both submissions within weeks for approval.

"Four Active Control employees are working full-time, along with consultants retained by the company, on the approval process," said company president Steve Barrett.

"They have been and continue to meet with MSHA engineers by phone and in person on a weekly basis."

Active Control's separate submission last year for a Wi-Fi telephone component to be integrated with ActiveMine is still pending, and the company hopes to have a better understanding of its status in the federal approval process within the coming weeks.

"The company continues to make excellent progress in advance of approvals, with additional purchase orders and new commercial installations confirmed in the first half of 2008," Barrett said.