Global satellite operator Intelsat has signed a deal with agriculture and construction equipment firm CNH to install, connect and operate ruggedized multi-orbit satellite terminals on CNH farm equipment in remote farmland throughout Brazil.
The collaboration between Intelsat and CNH aims to enable ‘connected smart farms’ – a.k.a. “precision farming” – which requires robust connectivity to stream data among farm equipment and from the equipment to the cloud.
Farming is a large part of the Brazilian economy but naturally, most farms are located in rural areas where connectivity options are limited or in some cases non-existent. According to Intelsat, less than a quarter of farmland in Brazil is close enough to a cellular tower to make a mobile broadband connection possible.
“Satellite technology helps solve the complex connectivity challenges for hard-to-reach farms,” said Marc Kermisch, chief digital and information officer at CNH.
CNH will leverage Intelsat’s FlexMove satellite network to connect its farm equipment in Brazil. FlexMove is Intelsat’s solution for verticals like agriculture, oil and gas, and mining that supports connectivity for mobile vehicles, powered by the operator’s Epic high-throughput satellites providing Ku-band connectivity.
The multi-orbit terminals also enable CNH to make use of LEO satellite connectivity via Intelsat’s partnership with Eutelsat OneWeb, which was extended and expanded under a new capacity deal last month.
Intelsat and CNH plan to introduce the agriculture solution in Brazil in the third quarter of this year.
Intelsat CEO Dave Wajsgras said the collaboration with CNH will unlock new capabilities in the most remote locations. “We’ve proven that ruggedized, built-for-purpose terminals that can access multiple satellite orbits from anywhere offer the highest network reliability, greater throughput and the best user experience.”
While the current partnership is aimed at Brazil, Kermisch hinted that it could be extended into other markets as well.
“Intelsat stands out for their depth of experience as well as the quality and reliability of their service and industrial terminal offerings,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to serving customers around the world with their solution.”