In the heart of rural and remote regions, where the hum of urban life fades into the whisper of the wind through fields and forests, a technological revolution is brewing. The challenge of reliable connectivity has long been a barrier to innovative applications in agriculture, forestry, and livestock management. But a recent study, led by Alejandro Ramírez-Arroyo from the Department of Electronic Systems at Aalborg University in Denmark, is paving the way for a new era of multi-connectivity solutions that could transform these industries.
Rural areas often find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide, with terrestrial network infrastructure lagging far behind urban centers. While 5G networks promise lightning-fast data rates and ultra-low latencies, these benefits are typically confined to cities and towns. “Rural areas often face challenging connectivity conditions due to the lack of terrestrial network infrastructure,” Ramírez-Arroyo explains. “This is where non-terrestrial networks, such as satellite-based solutions, come into play.”
The study, published in the journal *Smart Agricultural Technology* (translated from Danish as “Smart Agricultural Technology”), explores the availability of both terrestrial 5G and satellite networks in rural areas. The goal? To develop innovative IoT use cases that can thrive in these challenging environments. The research reveals that a traditional single-connectivity approach may not be sufficient to meet the key performance indicators (KPIs) required for various use cases in rural areas.
Terrestrial networks alone suffer from constant service outages due to poor infrastructure deployment, while satellite networks face issues with larger latency and uplink constraints. However, the study found that a multi-connectivity strategy, which integrates both 5G and satellite networks, can meet the network availability requirements for latency, downlink throughput, and uplink throughput KPIs. “The multi-connectivity strategy meets the network availability requirements for latency (<100 ms), downlink throughput (>30 Mbps), and uplink throughput (>20 Mbps) KPIs at least 98%, 99%, and 95% of the time, respectively,” Ramírez-Arroyo notes.
This breakthrough has significant implications for the energy sector, particularly in rural areas where renewable energy projects are increasingly being deployed. Reliable connectivity is crucial for monitoring and managing these projects, ensuring optimal performance, and minimizing downtime. With multi-connectivity solutions, energy companies can now consider deploying more demanding applications in rural areas, such as precision agriculture, livestock monitoring, and forest management.
The study’s findings suggest that the future of rural connectivity lies in a hybrid approach, combining the strengths of both terrestrial and satellite networks. This could open up new opportunities for innovation and economic growth in rural areas, ultimately bridging the digital divide and bringing the benefits of advanced connectivity to all corners of the globe.
As the world continues to grapple with the challenges of rural connectivity, the work of Ramírez-Arroyo and his team offers a promising path forward. By integrating multiple network interfaces through multi-connectivity techniques, we can improve communication availability and reliability, paving the way for a new era of innovation in rural and remote regions. The implications for the energy sector are profound, with the potential to revolutionize the way we manage and monitor renewable energy projects in these areas. As the research continues to evolve, one thing is clear: the future of rural connectivity is bright, and it’s multi-connected.