Telefônica Brasil (Vivo), TIM and Intelsat announced new connectivity contracts to spur the digital transformation of companies operating in Brazil's agribusiness sector.
The two mobile operators are leaders in private and dedicated networks for this industry in the country. Intelsat claims to have been the first satellite communications company to provide multi-orbit connectivity to farmers.
In the case of Telefônica, 4G antennas in the 700MHz band were installed to provide coverage to units of the Bom Jesus group in Mato Grosso state, covering an area of around 28,000ha, according to the telco.
Bom Jesus operates in transportation and trade of grains and farming inputs (fertilizers, pesticides and seeds), as well as livestock and fuel retail in Mato Grosso, Bahia and Piauí states.
According to Telefônica, in addition to 4G, the connectivity infrastructure includes networks based on Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT) and Long-Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-M), which are more suitable to support digital applications in farming.
“While the NB-IoT network responds better to static devices – with climate-sensing applications such as ambient temperature, soil humidity and solar incidence, typically used in weather stations – LTE-M technology has better performance in applications that demand more mobility, such as telemetry for agricultural machinery,” said Telefônica.
Telefônica will be responsible for all the physical infrastructure that makes up the project, such as the construction of towers and backhaul, aside from the antennas.
The operator claims that its strategy for agribusiness is based on the orchestration of a broad digital ecosystem, in addition to the co-creation of use cases with farmers.
Its Vivo Agro solutions portfolio includes microclimate data solutions, machinery operation data, joint and individual data on livestock activities, as well as partnerships with universities and startups, said Telefônica.
TIM
Meanwhile, TIM announced that BP Bunge Bioenergia is investing 100mn reais (US$19.5mn) in the digital transformation of agricultural operations in the country. Part of that money will go towards the construction of 98 sites with TIM's 4G signal.
According to TIM, this is the largest rural connectivity project in the country.
The network is expected to cover 3mn hectares in the regions of the 11 units where the company operates in Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, São Paulo, Tocantins and Minas Gerais states.
The additional coverage should also benefit more than 100,000 residents of the 46 municipalities close to the company's production units, including 65 schools.
In Minas Gerais alone, the project consists of 41 4G towers for BP Bunge Bioenergia's units in Ituiutaba, Frutal, Santa Juliana and Itapagipe, benefitting some 43,000 people in 18 surrounding localities, said TIM.
BP Bunge reportedly has technology embedded in around 1,200 pieces of agricultural and transport machinery connected to an integrated logistics management center (SmartHub). This center is equipped with agriculture 4.0 resources and promotes operational management based on data and the use of AI.
According to TIM, BP Bunge has also invested 30mn reais to detect and fight fires in sugarcane fields, for which connectivity and automation are a key ally.
This program, called Brigada 4.0, includes a satellite monitoring system that warns of weather conditions facilitating fires and uses HD thermal cameras installed on observation towers.
Another focus of BP Bunge with the new connectivity is regenerative agriculture, an approach to farming and land management that aims to improve and restore the health of the soil, increase biodiversity, enhance ecosystem services and mitigate climate change.
The group's investments on this front have reached 300mn reais in the last three years and have generated productivity gains and cost reductions, as well as a reduction in carbon emissions and lower dependence on imports of agricultural inputs.
TIM claims to be the leader in agribusiness connectivity, having more than 17mn hectares in the country covered with its 4G services. The target for this year is to reach 20mn hectares connected.
The telco says it benefits more than 1.5mn people with its 4G TIM no Campo project, in over 900 municipalities in 15 states.
INTELSAT
Satellite operator Intelsat announced an agreement with equipment manufacturer CNH Industrial to enable the connectivity of agricultural machinery in remote areas of Brazil.
Specifically, Instelsat and CNH, whose brands include Case IH, New Holland and Steyr, agreed to install, connect and operate rugged multi-orbit satellite terminals on CNH farm equipment operating in remote farmland throughout Brazil with Intelsat’s global network.
The expectation is that Intelsat's joint solution with CNH will be launched in Brazil in the third quarter of 2024.
According to Intelsat, connected smart farms or “precision farming” require robust connectivity to stream data from farm equipment and to the cloud.
The company estimates that there are over 570mn farms globally, many of which are located in areas with poor access to traditional connectivity solutions.
“In Brazil, for example, less than a quarter of farmland is close enough to a cellular tower to make connection possible,” Intelsat said in a release.
TIM already has a cellular 4G deal with CNH Industrial. The project dates back to 2021 and involves a partnership with Case IH at the Água Boa farm in Mato Grosso state.