Intelsat, about to be acquired by SES, and CNH (NYSE: CNHI), whose brands include Case IH, New Holland and Steyr, recently agreed to install, connect and operate ruggedized, multi-orbit, satellite terminals on CNH farm equipment operating in remote farmland throughout Brazil with Intelsat’s global network.
Connected smart farms or “precision farming” require robust connectivity to stream data among farm equipment and from the equipment to the cloud. There are more than 570 million farms globally, many of which are located in rural locations with poor access to traditional connectivity solutions. In Brazil, for example, less than a quarter of farmland is close enough to a cellular tower to make connection possible. Intelsat FlexMove satellite network is giving end users the reliable connectivity needed to adopt connected equipment and to bring on the next great agricultural revolution.
Intelsat and CNH plan to introduce the solution in Brazil in the third quarter of the year. Farming is a large part of the Brazilian economy and Intelsat has invested in infrastructure to provide a new level of service throughout the country.
Intelsat in Brazil:
- Operations center expansion: Intelsat’s Brazil Network Operations Center (NOC) has grown in staff to deliver better support for regional customers, offering 24/7 access to support representatives fluent in five languages including Brazilian Portuguese.
- New satellite capacity and teleport: Two satellites positioned over Brazil and Latin America, provide reliable connectivity. Located outside of Rio de Janeiro, the teleport facility expands Intelsat’s existing global network and enables direct connections between Intelsat satellites and Brazil’s local terrestrial networks to reduce the distance user internet traffic has to travel.
“As the first satellite communications company to provide multi-orbit connectivity to farmers around the world, Intelsat’s collaboration with CNH will unlock new capabilities in the most remote locations through our global communications platform,” said Dave Wajsgras, CEO of Intelsat. “We’ve proven that ruggedized, built-for-purpose terminals that can access multiple satellite orbits from anywhere offer the highest network reliability, greater throughput and the best user experience.”
“Satellite technology helps solve the complex connectivity challenges for hard-to-reach farms, but not all providers are equal. Intelsat stands out for their depth of experience as well as the quality and reliability of their service and industrial terminal offerings. We look forward to serving customers around the world with their solution,” said Marc Kermisch, Chief Digital and Information Officer at CNH.