Vertical: Agriculture
Application: IoT device connectivity, real-time field monitoring, agricultural technology testing
Ecosystem: Sun Corridor Network
Private Network: LTE, CBRS
High-speed internet access is becoming essential for modern agricultural operations, particularly in regions like Yuma, Arizona, which produces over 90% of North America’s winter vegetables.
Recently, a powerful collaboration between the University of Arizona’s Cyber Experiment Station, University Information Technology Services (UITS), the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, and Sun Corridor Network has brought an impressive 10GB internet service to agricultural fields in Yuma.
This connectivity breakthrough was made possible through a subaward from the National Science Foundation’s Campus Cyberinfrastructure program, which specifically targets geographical disparities in connectivity.
The project has established Yuma as a hub for precision agriculture data throughput focused on arid-environment sustainability.
Matt Rahr, director of the Cyber Experiment Station, explained the previous challenges: “Yuma is the agriculture powerhouse for leafy greens for the nation, but we were not able to convince these big internet service providers to come out, so we were hampered by the limitations of the network that we had.”
The deployment involves a sophisticated three-tier service system including standard Wi-Fi, wireless broadband service using CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) for cellular data, and a low-power, wide-area networking service (LoRaWAN) that enables battery and solar-operated devices to connect to the internet.
This comprehensive approach ensures corner-to-corner high-speed internet coverage across the agricultural fields.
Tanya Hodges, executive director of the Yuma Center of Excellence for Desert Agriculture, highlighted the strategic importance of this deployment: “Now there is a location to come and test, train for, and showcase agricultural technology, so when the technology is ready to go to the farmer it is ready to be implemented.”
Modern farming increasingly relies on Internet of Things (IoT) devices that have revolutionized agricultural practices by enabling real-time monitoring and precision management of crops, livestock, and equipment.
These connected technologies range from soil moisture sensors for irrigation optimization to drones that monitor crop health from above and laser weeders using artificial intelligence to target unwanted plants.
Looking ahead, the team envisions this improved connectivity extending beyond research farming to everyday agricultural operations throughout the region.
Rahr expressed optimism about the practical implications: “We want to make sure that the solutions that we’re bringing and demonstrating are just around the corner from what you’ll be able to do on your own. I think we’ve seen some really sci-fi stuff with all this use of AI, but some of this technology is already here and it just needed more network capacity to unlock its potential.”
Tags: 5g, private5g, privatelteand5g, Arizona, sun, lte, privatelte, wi-fi, Yuma,
