Intelsat and CNH target satellite enabled precision farming in Brazil

Intelsat will install, connect and operate ruggedized multi-orbit satellite terminals on CNH farm equipment operating in remote farmland throughout Brazil, which will run on Intelsat’s global network.

The intention is to enable ‘precision farming’ which requires connectivity to stream data between farm equipment and on to the cloud. In Brazil, we’re told, less than a quarter of farmland is close enough to a cellular tower to make this connection possible.

The Intelsat FlexMove satellite network will therefore provide connectivity to allow the teched-up farming equipment to operate, or as the release puts it ‘bring on the next great agricultural revolution.’

“As the first satellite communications company to provide multi-orbit connectivity to farmers around the world, Intelsat’s collaboration with CNH will unlock new capabilities in the most remote locations through our global communications platform,” said Dave Wajsgras, CEO of Intelsat.  “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.”

Marc Kermisch, Chief Digital and Information Officer at CNH added:“Satellite technology helps solve the complex connectivity challenges for hard-to-reach farms, but not all providers are equal. Intelsat stands out for their depth of experience as well as the quality and reliability of their service and industrial terminal offerings. We look forward to serving customers around the world with their solution.”

Intelsat operates a teleport facility outside of Rio de Janeiro, and has recently expanded its Brazil Network Operations Center (NOC). Intelsat and CNH intend to introduce the new farming solutions to the region in the third quarter of the year.  

Connected farming, smart farming, or precision farming (choose your term of choice) is often held up as one of the more practical benefits of better rural connectivity or even private networks, beyond generally better coverage.

It often crops up (so to speak) when the UK government explains the purpose of the various pots of cash it periodically announced. Some telcos have been tinkering around with the idea as well, such as VMO2 which recently trialled the ‘connected farm of the future’ with Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley.