5G Takes Root: trials at Worcestershire ‘Farm of the Future’

Virgin Media O2 Business and River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (RSPAWIR) have today announced a new collaboration to trial cutting edge 5G connectivity at Overbury Farms on the border between Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.

By installing a portable 5G Private Network on the farm, this trial will showcase innovative use cases, laying the groundwork for the connected farms of the future and demonstrating the transformative power of technology in crop protection and environmental preservation.

Overbury Farms, a 1,600 hectare award-winning estate and the chosen trial site, has long been a leader in digital farming, utilising connected tractors, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled weather stations, and real-time data analytics. The farm will now serve as the ultimate testbed for the portable 5G Private Network, covering a 1-kilometre trial area to unlock advanced applications for farming, driving the future of agriculture.

Committing to share the findings from this innovative trial, Penelope Bossom, Overbury Farms’ owner, commented: “This exciting collaboration will give us the opportunity to test a variety of sensors collecting data over a private 5G network. The benefits of better information, warnings and the collation of data will provide new opportunities to our sector. Hopefully, we will overcome the constraints of variable connectivity to show the benefits of the network technology for a business in the countryside.”

Paving the way for further 5G-driven innovation in the agricultural sector, Overbury is a member of Agri-TechE , an organisation that brings farming experts together to foster new innovations in the Agritech space.

Read the full article and announcement on Virgin MediaO2.