Agricultural communities in country Victoria will be able to better manage their crops thanks to a new digital network being administered as part of the Victorian Government’s Internet of Things trial.
Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes announced NNNCo will work with Agriculture Victoria to provide network connectivity to trial sites in the Maffra, Tatura, Serpentine and Birchip regions.
“We’re excited to work with NNNCo to roll this exciting technology out to keep our farmers connected and help them work smarter – not harder,” Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes said. “Our Internet of Things trial has the potential to revolutionise farm businesses, putting Victorian farmers at the forefront of agricultural innovation.”
The new long-range network (LoRaWAN) will allow for thousands of sensors to be securely connected to the internet, providing farmers with real-time data to improve their on-farm productivity, efficiency and sustainability.
The delivery of network connectivity is an important part of the Government’s ongoing On-farm IoT trial – addressing key barriers that farmers have identified to investing in technology like a lack of access to reliable network coverage. NNNCo is a leading Australian IoT network provider with experience deploying and managing networks to support cities, utilities, logistics and agriculture.
“NNNCo’s network and data platform roll-out is a commitment to every farmer in these regions to provide the coverage they need to better manage and run their operations,” NNNCo CEO Rob Zagarella said. “Farmers now have a broad choice of devices and applications from the growing global IoT ecosystem, including irrigation management and control, and real-time monitoring of soil health, rainfall, farm assets, worker safety, and water tank levels so that they can proactively respond to the needs of the farm.”
The network also has the potential to support the wider community, providing improved connectivity so everyone in the trial regions can benefit from Victoria’s growing digital economy.
Victoria’s On-Farm Internet of Things trial is part of the Labor Government’s Commitment improving rural and regional mobile coverage, coverage on train lines, mobile blackspots and public Wi-Fi.'
For more information about the trial, visit: www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/digitalag