Through a shared rural network program, Virgin Media O2 has created the “Connected Farm of the Future” in a trial, designed to showcase how enhanced mobile connectivity can transform rural agriculture. The Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, received a network of sensors and monitors that can work together to make it more efficient.
Virgin Media O2 has boosted its network across Cannon Hall Farm to provide a reliable and high-speed mobile network to the area. This supports the testing of several connected technology use cases across the farm, including protecting valuable assets. Trackers, sensors and switches are installed in the farm’s equipment, livestock and gates to enable the farmers to monitor in real time the location of these high-value items or receive alerts about gates left open.
Major crop yields are decreasing due to extreme and unpredictable weather events such as floods and droughts. To combat this, connected soil moisture, atmospheric temperature and humidity sensors will show the potential to monitor the health of crops and assess irrigation needs, reducing water use based on real-time conditions.
As part of the U.K. Government’s Shared Rural Network, this year Virgin Media O2 further expanded its 4G network with an additional 50 sites and has planned 100 more sites.
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