Vertical: Agriculture
Application: Livestock environmental monitoring, animal welfare management, real-time sensor data transmission
Ecosystem: Boldyn Networks, West Sussex County Council, Pneumonitor
Private Network: 5G RedCap
| RedCap technology reaches the farm. Boldyn Networks has deployed what it describes as a practical application of 5G Reduced Capability technology to transmit environmental data from inside livestock pens, giving farmers near real-time insight into animal welfare conditions as extreme weather creates new operational challenges. |
Boldyn Networks has deployed a private 5G network in West Sussex, United Kingdom, to support livestock environmental monitoring through a public sector partnership programme called Growing Sussex. The deployment connects in-pen monitoring devices from agritech specialist Pneumonitor to provide farmers with near real-time data on conditions inside livestock buildings, supporting animal welfare decisions and operational responses to extreme weather events.
The deployment uses 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) technology to transmit sensor data from livestock buildings. West Sussex County Council leads the Growing Sussex programme, with Boldyn Networks serving as the connectivity partner and Pneumonitor providing the environmental monitoring hardware. The initiative represents an effort to bring cellular IoT connectivity to agricultural settings where traditional Wi-Fi or wired networks may be impractical and where full 5G capability exceeds the requirements of low-bandwidth sensor applications.
| Metric | Detail |
| Network type | Private 5G RedCap |
| Vendor(s) | Boldyn Networks (network), Pneumonitor (devices) |
| Devices | Pneumonitor in-pen environmental monitoring sensors |
| Programme lead | West Sussex County Council (Growing Sussex) |
| Location | West Sussex, United Kingdom |
Agricultural Context and Growing Sussex Programme
Agriculture forms a significant part of the West Sussex economy, but the sector faces increasing operational challenges from extreme weather patterns, including periods of high temperature that can threaten animal welfare. The Growing Sussex programme was established to help growers and livestock producers adopt technology that provides better visibility into environmental conditions, enabling faster responses to changing circumstances and supporting long-term resilience. West Sussex County Council structured the initiative as a public sector-led programme that brings together connectivity providers and agricultural technology specialists.
The programme targets practical applications where digital connectivity can deliver measurable improvements in farm operations. Livestock monitoring represents one such application, where real-time environmental data from inside buildings can inform ventilation adjustments, cooling measures, and other interventions. Similar efforts to modernise operational environments through private cellular networks have been seen in other sectors, including utility infrastructure deployments that prioritise mission-critical data transmission. The West Sussex deployment applies comparable principles to agricultural operations, where timely information about livestock conditions can influence both animal welfare outcomes and business performance.
RedCap Technology and Use Case Fit
The deployment employs 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) technology, a 3GPP Release 17 specification designed to support IoT devices that require more capability than narrowband IoT but do not need the full bandwidth, power consumption, or antenna complexity of standard 5G. RedCap operates within existing 5G networks but with reduced device complexity, making it suitable for sensors, wearables, and industrial monitoring equipment. For livestock monitoring, RedCap provides sufficient bandwidth to transmit environmental data while enabling simpler, lower-cost devices that can operate efficiently within farm buildings.
Pneumonitor’s environmental monitoring devices connect to Boldyn’s private 5G network to transmit data from inside livestock pens. These devices measure conditions such as temperature, humidity, and air quality, variables that directly affect animal health and comfort. By deploying RedCap rather than full 5G or alternative LPWAN technologies, the deployment aims to balance coverage, latency, device cost, and scalability. The choice of private cellular over Wi-Fi reflects the physical challenges of farm environments, where buildings with metal structures, thick walls, and variable layouts can create connectivity obstacles. The approach mirrors strategies seen in commercial real estate deployments where private wireless replaces legacy systems unable to meet coverage or reliability requirements.
Operational Benefits and Decision Support
The near real-time environmental data provided by the system enables farmers to make faster decisions about livestock welfare interventions. During periods of high temperature, for example, timely alerts about rising conditions inside buildings can prompt adjustments to ventilation systems, activation of cooling equipment, or decisions to move animals. The system also supports longer-term management decisions by providing historical data on environmental patterns, helping farmers understand building performance and identify areas for improvement.
Boldyn Networks positions the deployment as a foundation for additional connected applications across the farming sector. Beyond environmental monitoring, private 5G networks can support equipment telematics, automated feeding systems, video surveillance, and other digital tools that require reliable, low-latency connectivity. The Growing Sussex programme provides a testbed for proving the viability of these technologies in practical agricultural settings before broader commercial rollout. Similar patterns have emerged in sectors such as education, where CBRS private LTE networks addressed connectivity gaps, and in aviation, where private 5G testbeds explore operational applications before wider deployment.
| “Agriculture plays a vital role in West Sussex, but periods of extreme weather are creating new challenges for the sector. Through Growing Sussex, we’re helping growers and food producers use technology to better understand changing conditions, protect animal welfare and build resilience for the future. That’s good for local businesses, good for our rural economy and good for West Sussex.” Cllr Yvonne Gravely, Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills, West Sussex County Council |
Boldyn Networks’ Agricultural Connectivity Strategy
Boldyn Networks serves as the connectivity partner for the Growing Sussex programme, providing the private 5G infrastructure that underpins the livestock monitoring application. The company positions private cellular networks as an enabling technology for agricultural digital transformation, offering the coverage, reliability, and security that farm operations require. Gearoid Collins, Commercial Director for Real Estate, Enterprise, and Wind Farms at Boldyn Networks, indicated that connecting Pneumonitor through RedCap demonstrates how private 5G can support practical agritech and provide the digital foundation for additional connected applications across farming.
The deployment extends Boldyn’s portfolio of private network projects across multiple sectors. The company has previously deployed private 5G in mining environments through partnerships with equipment vendors and in other industrial settings where reliable connectivity is essential. The West Sussex agricultural deployment represents an application of similar network architecture principles to a different operational context, where the devices, use cases, and physical environment differ significantly from industrial or logistics environments. The company’s focus on real estate and enterprise sectors positions it to address connectivity requirements in settings where public mobile networks may not provide sufficient coverage, capacity, or control.
| “Connecting Pneumonitor through RedCap shows how private 5G can support practical agritech and provide the digital foundation for many more connected applications across the farming sector.” Gearoid Collins, Commercial Director, Real Estate, Enterprise & Wind Farms, Boldyn Networks |
Private Cellular for Agriculture: Market Context
The West Sussex deployment adds to a growing list of agricultural applications for private cellular networks, though the sector remains in early stages compared to manufacturing, logistics, and utilities. Agriculture presents distinct connectivity challenges, including large geographic areas, dispersed assets, buildings that obstruct signal propagation, and cost constraints that require solutions to be economically viable at scale. RedCap technology addresses some of these challenges by reducing device cost and complexity while maintaining sufficient performance for sensor and monitoring applications.
Private LTE and 5G networks are increasingly deployed in sectors where operational requirements align with the capabilities of dedicated cellular infrastructure. Examples include port operations, where container tracking and equipment coordination demand reliable coverage, and rail infrastructure, where signalling and communications systems require dedicated networks. Agricultural applications differ in scale and density but share the requirement for connectivity that performs consistently across challenging physical environments. The West Sussex project provides data on whether private 5G can meet these requirements cost-effectively for livestock operations, a question that will influence broader adoption across the farming sector.
Spectrum, Architecture, and Deployment Considerations
The specific spectrum band used for the Boldyn Networks deployment in West Sussex was not disclosed in available information. Private 5G networks in the United Kingdom can utilise shared spectrum through frameworks such as the 3.8 to 4.2 GHz band available for local licensing, or operate under managed service arrangements where a licensed operator provides dedicated network capacity. The choice of spectrum affects coverage range, building penetration, and coexistence with other wireless systems, all factors relevant to agricultural deployments where buildings and open fields create diverse propagation conditions.
Network architecture for agricultural private 5G typically involves a combination of outdoor macro cells for general coverage and indoor small cells or distributed antenna systems for buildings with signal attenuation challenges. The number of cells required depends on coverage area, building density, device count, and required uplink data rates. RedCap devices generally have lower data rate requirements than standard 5G terminals, which can allow for larger cell sizes and reduced infrastructure density, improving deployment economics. Understanding these tradeoffs is essential for scaling beyond pilot projects to commercial deployments across multiple farms or larger geographic areas, similar to challenges addressed in regional telecommunications deployments that must balance coverage and cost.
| KEY INSIGHT The West Sussex deployment demonstrates that RedCap can deliver sufficient performance for agricultural IoT applications while potentially reducing device cost and complexity compared to full 5G terminals, an important factor for economic viability in a price-sensitive sector where connectivity solutions must scale across large numbers of sensors and multiple farm locations. |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What is 5G RedCap and why is it used for livestock monitoring?
5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) is a 3GPP specification that supports IoT devices requiring more capability than narrowband IoT but less than full 5G. It reduces device complexity, cost, and power consumption while providing sufficient bandwidth for sensor data transmission, making it economically suitable for agricultural monitoring applications.
Q2: Who is leading the Growing Sussex programme?
West Sussex County Council leads the Growing Sussex programme, a public sector initiative designed to help agricultural producers adopt technology for better environmental monitoring and operational resilience. Boldyn Networks serves as connectivity partner and Pneumonitor provides the environmental monitoring devices.
Q3: What environmental data does the system monitor inside livestock buildings?
The Pneumonitor devices connected to the private 5G network monitor environmental conditions inside livestock pens, including temperature, humidity, and air quality. This near real-time data helps farmers respond to extreme weather events and make decisions that support animal health and welfare.
Q4: How does private 5G differ from public mobile networks for farm applications?
Private 5G networks provide dedicated capacity, consistent coverage across farm buildings and fields, and greater operational control compared to public mobile networks. They can be optimised for specific use cases such as sensor data transmission and may offer better building penetration and reliability.
Q5: What other agricultural applications could private 5G support beyond livestock monitoring?
Beyond environmental monitoring, private 5G networks can support equipment telematics, automated feeding systems, video surveillance, precision agriculture sensors, and connected farm machinery. The Growing Sussex deployment provides a foundation for evaluating additional connected applications across the farming sector.
Q6: What spectrum options are available for agricultural private 5G in the United Kingdom?
UK agricultural operations can access private 5G spectrum through local licensing in the 3.8 to 4.2 GHz band or through managed service arrangements with licensed operators. Spectrum choice affects coverage range, building penetration, and coexistence with other wireless systems on the farm.
