Point 1: We are already working on it, I'm not going to say more then: Mining fields will be moved and centralised.
Point 2: We are trying to balance this with mining bonuses and droprates for the factions.
I'm still think that PoB's are taking a importent role here, because they are good for storing ore, but they aren't really good for mining operations and then heading for the trade runs.
Ps. Yes for IMG|it's working since they can log more 5 players at once, but for the rest it's hard, maybe even nearly impossible.