RE: CropX16 Jun 2021 13:03
5G will bring many advantages to the farming industry some of which are outlined in this article bit.ly/3vvbIp1
One outcome from the recent G7 event was a US-led initiative to throw money at developing world infrastructure projects in a bid to beat China at its own game.
While the US government fact sheet doesn’t explicitly refer to 5G, the WSJ reports the 5G-specific part of the cunning plan known as ‘Build Back Better World’ has been unilaterally added to the agenda by the US. The long and short of it is that the US has belatedly realising that combating bribes with threats doesn’t work and is now working to ‘incentivise’ developing economies around the world to shun Huawei and ZTE kit.
While major wireless carriers Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile are racing to install 5G, they've so far focused only on metropolitan areas because of their high concentration of potential customers. It may take a few years before their 5G networks are widely available in rural areas, meaning farmers will have to wait but the US administration is urging them to speed up this process and we may witness some tax incentives introduced which will be aimed specifically at the telecoms industry as the administration seeks to overhaul China,as quickly as possible.
Consequently,it's feasible 5G may begin to have a tangible impact on farming within three to five years.Many farmers have already installed sensors in their fields that are connected using 4G, which operates at up to 100Mbps. In comparison, 5G speeds of up to 10Gbps are expected. The difference allows for faster connectivity between devices along with enabling more devices to connect to a single cell tower.
Upgrading to 5G could increase the impact of the technology by improving connection speeds and allowing for devices to more effectively communicate. For example, it would allow farmers to install more sensors to track more data points and help them run their operations more effectively. 5G will change the nature of jobs in farming and agriculture substantially but there is some uncertainty that more technology, including 5G, will actually impact the number of farm jobs overall. Instead different roles will be in higher demand, likely data analytics and farm management, but that doesn't necessarily translate into a lower headcount.
Smart agriculture in general is about allowing farmers to be more informed and efficient; it’s not specifically about eliminating jobs. Whatever the case, the stakes are high. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that the planet will need 70% more food in 2050 than it did in 2009 because of a rising global population. Advancements in farming will be a big contributor.Technology must be applied to the problem and connectivity is essential, and therefore 5G in agriculture is inevitable."
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