Field Tested
Private 5G supporting agricultural robots and drones
Connected robots and drones bring automation into the field, carrying out crop inspections and sharing findings as they work.
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Private 5G for agriculture.
Bring the field into view.
Connect farm teams, machinery and monitoring applications across the places you work. Private 5G brings information from fields, livestock buildings and remote yards back to the people making decisions. Seneca designs and manages private 5G networks for UK agriculture.
See a crop concern while the robot is still in the row. Bring livestock alerts into the morning round. Send a field report without driving back to the office. Build the connection around your land and the tasks that keep the farm moving.
Agricultural robotics in practice
Private 5G for agricultural automation
Live video
See crop conditions as work happens
Live video and sensor readings give your team a view from the machine, helping them spot crop concerns and target attention where it is needed.
Multi-robot
Robots working together across the field
Private 5G connects multiple autonomous machines at once, supporting robot-to-robot communication and coordinated work under central supervision.
From remote reading to useful decision
Private 5G across fields and farm buildings
A farm’s working day stretches across fields, sheds, stores and access tracks. A useful reading may be on a sensor at the far end of a field, an alert on a livestock system or an image on a machine’s camera. Getting that information to the right person makes it easier to decide where attention is needed.
Private 5G provides a dedicated connection for selected devices and applications across the working area. Coverage follows the site design, while suitable gateways connect lower-power sensors and existing equipment into the wider network. The result is a practical route from the place where something happens to the person who can act.
Connect the farm’s everyday decisions.
- Crop observations reach the field-management record.
- Livestock alerts help organise the inspection round.
- Machinery status reaches the person supervising the job.
- Workers share photographs and requests from the point of work.
Practical agriculture use cases
Private 5G for crop inspection and farm machinery
Connect a task your team already understands, with a clear route from observation to action.
01
See crop concerns while inspection is under way
Help the farm team target its next inspection. A field robot sends crop images and position data over private 5G as it follows its route. The team can examine flagged areas while the survey continues and compare findings with the crop record.
02
Bring livestock alerts into the daily round
Give farm staff readings and alerts where they are working. Suitable gateways connect livestock and environmental sensors to the farm application over private 5G. Staff can check the relevant location and recent readings before visiting, then record the outcome alongside the alert.
03
Send machinery and field updates without returning to base
Keep field work connected to the farm office. Compatible machinery gateways and staff devices send job status, equipment readings and reports over private 5G. The farm team can coordinate the next task while navigation and machine safety remain with the equipment’s own systems.
The buildings matter too
Private 5G for farm teams and records
Grain stores, livestock sheds and equipment yards generate information throughout the day. Temperature readings, access events and machinery status can reach the applications used by the farm team through compatible devices and gateways.
A camera at a remote entrance helps the manager review a delivery or access alert. A connected tablet lets a worker record an equipment check beside the asset. Local storage keeps selected footage and records close to the operation.
Bring these practical tasks into the site plan alongside the field routes, so the network serves the full working day.
Built around the land
Designing private 5G around your land
- 01 / Farm devicesMachine routers, cameras, handsets and gateways for sensors or livestock systems
- 02 / Working areasFields, sheds, access tracks, equipment yards and remote buildings
- 03 / Private networkRadio coverage, device access, power, backhaul and traffic priorities
- 04 / Farm applicationsField records, herd systems, machinery monitoring and safety workflows
Follow the terrain and the season
Hills, trees, growing crops and building materials shape the radio design. We start with the routes and locations you need to connect, then assess mounting positions, power and links between network equipment. Seasonal work and machinery movements are part of that picture from the start.
Use the right connection for each device
A small battery sensor has different needs from a moving robot or live camera. Existing sensor networks can feed through a gateway, while compatible cellular devices connect directly. Machine navigation and positioning come from the appropriate equipment systems; private 5G carries the agreed data and application traffic.
Explore wider connectivity options → Private compute → Managed open-source applications →
Planning & costs
Farm private 5G planning and costs
We assess your estate, devices and applications, then design connectivity around the work you want to improve. We help build a business case around the opportunity, deployment costs and ongoing support.
We handle the technical assessment and help connect the investment to useful results. The first conversation starts with what you want to achieve.
One area or the whole estate.
Start with a focused deployment and expand, or move ahead with a full programme. We shape delivery around your priorities and readiness, and coordinate installation with your operation.
Talk to our teamPlanning questions
Agricultural private 5G questions
Can private 5G work where public mobile coverage is poor?
A private network uses its own on-site radio equipment, designed around your working area. Power, spectrum and the connections between radios and network systems form part of the project. Internet access is planned separately where applications need it.
Does every sensor need a 5G SIM?
No. Compatible cellular devices can connect directly, while suitable gateways collect readings from existing sensor networks and send them over private 5G. Device power, data volume and application interfaces guide the choice.
Can it connect agricultural robots and drones?
Compatible equipment can exchange telemetry, images and application data over the private network. Integration follows the machine supplier’s communication requirements and operating arrangements, alongside its own navigation and safety systems.
Can field and herd records stay on site?
Selected applications and records can run on local computing infrastructure. Existing cloud services can also be connected where required. We plan access, storage and recovery around the applications you choose.
What information helps you scope a farm network?
A map of the working areas, buildings and routes, plus the devices and first task you want to connect. The site assessment then considers terrain, power, installation and application integration to produce a defined proposal.
Read the private 5G cost guide →How much does private 5G cost for agriculture?
The agriculture examples range from £46,561 to £87,846 ex VAT, including installation and one-year support. The focused and larger site assumptions are shown in the cost table. These are indicative calculator examples, confirmed by survey; exclusions are listed with the table.
Connect the places you work
Get a private 5G quote for your farm
Show us the land, the equipment and the task that loses time. We’ll help bring them together in a practical first project.
Website information and service conditions
We design coverage around your land, equipment and working tasks. Use cases and the staff-time calculation illustrate the opportunity; your proposal sets out the deployment and service scope.
Information may change or contain errors. Project-specific specifications, delivery commitments and commercial terms are set out in the agreed proposal and contract. Illustrations show concepts; source records are retained by Seneca.