Last week’s news that Pedra Agroindustrial Group, one of the leading conglomerates in the Brazilian sugarcane and energy sector, will expand the digitisation of processes in three of its plants and a unit dedicated to livestock and soybean production through a new partnership with operator TIM is a reminder of the growth of wireless connectivity in the agribusiness sector.
The plants are located in the state of São Paulo in the southeast of the country; the unit is in Mato Grosso in the central west region. More than one million hectares, of which 250,000 hectares are Pedra Agroindustrial's productive area, will now have TIM's 4G coverage.
The initiative includes the installation of new sites, ensuring end-to-end connectivity in the group's operations and enabling digital solutions aimed at optimising the entire sugarcane production chain.
The partnership will allow the connection of approximately 4,500 agricultural machines, optimising delivery flows and integration between the field and the mill.
The benefits of the agreement also reach communities surrounding the plants. TIM says its total coverage will reach more than one million hectares, benefiting 37,000 people, more than 4,000 rural properties, nine public schools and four health units, which will be covered by the connectivity.
Today TIM says it already covers more than 20 million hectares with 4G in Brazil; its goal is to reach 26 million hectares covered by the end of this year.
TIM has invested in IoT and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to support increased productivity and operational efficiency in agribusiness. Through 4G TIM no Campo (4G TIM in the Field, a TIM project to bring 4G coverage to rural areas), the operator enables a number of technologies.
These include telemetry of agricultural machinery, which allows real-time monitoring of performance indicators; field notes, with data on operations, working time and failures; and the connection of meteorological stations, essential for climate management.
The network also enables the automation of irrigation systems, communication between teams via 4G push to talk (PTT), and intelligent logistics management solutions, such as the automation of raw material transportation to the plant and the control of work hours and shift changes in the field. These technologies, it seems, have been fundamental in leveraging the digitisation of the sugarcane chain.
Accounting for 26% of Brazil's GDP, agriculture is one of TIM's main focuses for growth in the market. Last year, the operator launched TIM IoT Solutions, which also includes the utilities, logistics and Industry 4.0 sectors as priorities.
