Vertical: Agriculture
Application: AI pest detection, IoT water quality monitoring, livestock water management, fertilizer monitoring, weather data collection
Ecosystem: Virgin Media
Private Network: 5G
Virgin Media O2 Business and River Severn Partnership Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (RSPAWIR) have joined forces to launch an innovative 5G connectivity trial at Overbury Farms, located on the border between Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.
The portable 5G private network installation will cover a 1-kilometer trial area of the 1,600-hectare award-winning estate, creating a connected environment for testing advanced agricultural applications. Overbury Farms has already established itself as a pioneer in digital farming, using connected tractors, IoT-enabled weather stations, and real-time data analytics.
The trial will implement several 5G-enabled solutions designed to improve farm efficiency, enhance animal welfare, and reduce environmental impact:
- AI-enabled pest observation: Camera traps trained to detect cabbage stem flea beetles, aphids, and ladybirds will enable early intervention against potential infestations, reducing pesticide usage.
- IoT water quality monitoring: Sensors will remotely measure nitrate levels in local streams, working alongside Meteoblue’s weather model to optimize fertilizer application timing and monitor water quality flowing through the farm.
- Livestock water management: Automated monitoring of water levels in livestock and racehorse troughs will save time previously spent on physical checks while ensuring continuous water availability.
- Fertilizer monitoring: Tank monitors will trigger alerts for potential leaks, allowing for swift responses to minimize environmental impact while improving stock control efficiency.
- Advanced weather station: Collection of soil moisture, wind speed, rainfall, and temperature data will be correlated with weather forecasting and disease modeling to support daily farm management decisions.
“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,” said Penelope Bossom, Overbury Farms’ owner.
As a member of AgritechE and a former AgriEPI satellite farm, Overbury is well-positioned to lead this technological advancement in agriculture.
This collaboration strengthens Virgin Media O2 Business’ position in the private network market, building on its strategic partnership with Accenture announced last year. The UK mobile Private Network market is projected to reach £528 million by 2030, with significant growth potential through industry-specific applications.
Matt Smith, RSPAWIR Programme Manager, added: “This project brings together a forward thinking, environmentally conscious and tech-curious local farm, an innovative public sector partnership with government support and a high-profile Mobile Network Operator in Virgin Media O2 Business who have an appetite to transform rural connectivity. Our collaboration marks an exciting step forward in demonstrating the practical benefits of 5G technology for rural communities.”
