Feature: Reinke dampens digital agritech concerns

Agriculture is a growing target for broader digital transformation initiatives, with technology already an important element in the industry and projections by Astute Analytica indicating overall revenue could hit $92.3 billion by 2033 compared with $19 billion at end-2024.But for all the promise of agricultural technology (agritech) some basic problems around coverage and connectivity remain.

Mobile World Live spoke with Stony Yakovac, manager of Electrical and Software Engineering at Reinke Manufacturing (pictured, left), about the potential barriers and how agritech companies are addressing these.Tapping connectivityReinke Manufacturing just released the latest iteration of a connected irrigation system which can be remotely controlled using a dedicated smartphone app. The most obvious barriers, then, are access to mobile networks and devices.



Yakovac joked last mile connectivity can truly be a “country mile” in rural areas, even in the “most developed markets”.The executive noted connectivity problems in rural areas is a longstanding issue, though, arguing it is up to companies like Reinke Manufacturing to help overcome them. One method is ensuring its irrigation system and other telemetry products “use all the same connectivity options” of modern smartphones, while plotting to expand the choices available in future.

Reinke Manufacturing configured ReinCloud 3 controls to work when mobile or satellite connectivity is not available.The company is largely able to offer this approach due to the function of the irrigation product.It offers access to data about fields to enable decisions about where to send water, with the app used to provide oversight of the watering systems along with information on weather, soil, yield, and the amount of chemicals and fertilisers the irrigation system is delivering.

Yakovac explained Reinke Manufacturing developed systems to automatically switch users to alternative connectivity providers based on telemetry, but he noted the issue of coverage is gradually being addressed by operators, making the company’s challenge more one of keeping pace in terms of the products it offers.Gaps in usageIn figures published in late 2024, the GSMA estimated an investment of $418 billion was needed to close the global coverage gap. Its research indicated access to a network remained a problem for an estimated 350 million people living in remote areas, around 4 per cent of the world’s population.

But the GSMA explained the usage gap was a greater concern despite 160 million fresh mobile internet users signing up in 2023. Although this was broadly on par with the number of new users in 2022, the trade association noted the figure was down from highs recorded between 2015 and 2021, when around 200 million signed up each year.The GSMA noted the affordability of devices and skills were two main barriers slowing uptake of mobile internet services.

Yakovac agreed there are challenges involving access to smartphones and education.He said broad-strokes figures on smartphone penetration in major markets including the US may mask the true picture among the farming community, a demographic which “historically has favoured a very conservative approach to technology”.The parallel between this conservatism and a lack of education or digital skills seems clear-cut.

Yakovac explained Reinke Manufacturing tackles this aspect through its certified dealer network, who have “access to technical support” and “on-demand training programmes”.ReinCloud 3 offers “step-by-step installation” instructions using “simplified schematics” and the company is enhancing its “service workflow to offer more support for specific” problems around set up.Yakovac said the company designed its app to “follow a more modern approach, with special value placed on an intuitive interface”.

“Ease of use is known to be a valuable asset and will continue to be a focus going forward.”Changing timesThere is another element at play: Yakovac noted emerging generations of farmers are more tech-savvy, and less averse, than those conservative growers mentioned above.“Many traditional farming operations are changing hands”, with the new age involving people “who are completely immersed and comfortable with state-of-the-art technology and all the advantages it enables”.

Reinke Manufacturing covered as many bases as possible with ReinCloud 3, designing it to “work on any device that is smartphone capable or better” and offering options for customers “with little-to-no data access”, which include SMS.The irrigation system can be used on tablet, laptop and desktop PCs so users can “benefit from larger screen sizes and potentially better input devices”.IntegrationBeyond the broader issues around rural connectivity, access and education lie some more typical challenges involving hardware integration.

Yakovac explained Reinke Manufacturing ensures backward compatibility with existing hardware, while delivering upgrades on software and systems to connect with mobile and satellite networks.The company “integrated the concept of digital twins..

.to simplify the interface and make it more reliable”, Yakovac said, explaining this is achieved by using the telemetry to generate a virtual representation of the physical equipment in play.Cost will always be a factor in any agricultural setting.

The margins at play in farming are slim, so Reinke Manufacturing designed the latest irrigation system to be compatible with its predecessor, requiring an updated app to access the fresh functionality.Yakovac noted security is a key concern for any agritech deployment. ReinCloud 3 is essentially an IoT set-up, employing cloud software and physical devices to deliver its predictions and controls.

The system employs encryption and authentication systems covering “all communications to and from the field”, and Reinke Manufacturing is in the process of deploying biometric login functionality.Yakovac said there is also a keen focus on employing the latest semiconductors in Reinke Manufacturing’s hardware, making the devices themselves a point of security and, in turn “an effective value point between expense and security”.The post Feature: Reinke dampens digital agritech concerns appeared first on Mobile World Live.

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