Pilot project with Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery an
important step forward in developing IoT smart technology solutions
for agriculture
PELHAM, ON, Nov. 9, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell today
announced it has partnered with BeWhere Technologies and Huawei to
implement an automated Internet of Things (IoT) solution for the
Henry of Pelham vineyard to help
improve planning and sustainability programs. The announcement took
place this morning with the three partners, alongside Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, who highlighted the partnership
ahead of her trade mission to China.
"Ontario's technology sector is
leading the way when it comes to developing solutions that can
promote sustainability, grow our economy and create opportunities
for our people," said Kathleen
Wynne, Premier of Ontario.
"This new IoT pilot shows the innovation that can be achieved when
internationally recognized companies like Huawei partner with
world-class Ontario businesses
like Bell Mobility, BeWhere and Henry of Pelham and leverage the incredible talent of
our province's highly skilled workers."
By using wireless environmental sensors connected to Bell's
LTE-M wireless network, the winery will be able to remotely monitor
temperature and water levels, prevent vine disease, and ultimately
improve the health of its plants, lowering operating costs and
providing for years of maintenance-free data gathering.
"Unexpected adverse weather conditions can impact quality, yield
and mortality of our crops," said Matthew
Speck, Owner/Viticulturist of Henry of Pelham Family Estate
Winery. "Bell's solution will increase the density of our
environmental monitoring. We'll be able to automatically act on
temperature inversions by turning on fans when temperatures change,
ensuring the health of our grapes and an optimal product for our
customers. The solution is not only economical and scalable, it
gives growers a good view of the vines' temperature needs to
improve quality and drive sustainability."
"Bell's leadership in LTE-M wireless technology and in the IoT
space is a result of our continued investment and innovation in
broadband communications networks and services," said Claire Gillies, Vice President, Bell Mobility. "The LTE-M network enables smart
sensors to collect and send data over a wider range and with much
better battery life – a perfect fit for Henry of Pelham, wineries and growers across the
country and many other industries."
In June, Bell announced it will launch an LTE-M (Long Term
Evolution, category M1) wireless network in 2018 to support the
rapidly increasing use of IoT devices on low-power, wide-area
networks (LPWANs) in Canada.
LTE-M improves the operating efficiency of IoT devices by
enabling very low power consumption and better coverage in
underground and other hard-to-reach locations. In partnership with
Huawei, Bell has successfully demonstrated these benefits in its
Mississauga wireless innovation
lab and in network field trials.
"This project represents the best of what we can achieve when
working with our long-term partner Bell and emerging Canadian IoT
companies like BeWhere," said Steve
Lu, President of Huawei
Canada. "We are excited about the future of IoT and the
benefits that smart agriculture solutions will bring to farms and
vineyards across the country."
"Bell's LTE-M network combined with BeWhere's environmental
sensors and cloud-based applications will provide Henry of
Pelham with a perfect solution to
help them do what they do best – produce fine wines," said
Owen Moore, CEO of BeWhere. "We are
thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Bell, Huawei and
Henry of Pelham on this
project."
LTE-M will support a broad range of large-scale IoT solutions,
including smart city services, smart metering, home automation,
weather and environmental monitoring, asset tracking, supply chain
management, security monitoring, transportation and logistics, as
well as personal wearables for healthcare and accessibility
applications.
About Bell
Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing
broadband wireless, TV, Internet and to consumers and business
customers. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with
leading assets in television, radio, out of home and digital media.
To learn more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca.
The Bell Let's Talk initiative promotes Canadian mental health
with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's
Talk Day, and provides significant Bell funding of mental health
care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives. To
learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk
About BeWhere
BeWhere (TSXV: BEW) (OTCQB: BEWFF) is an
Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) solutions company that designs
and manufacturers hardware with sensors and software applications
to track real-time information on movable assets. The company
develops mobile applications, middle-ware and cloud based solutions
that stand-alone or that can be readily integrated with existing
software. Its solutions enable end-users a level of operational
visibility that is more easily accessible and significantly easier
to implement than in the past. www.facebook.com/bewhereinc/;
www.linkedin.com/company/bewhere-inc-
About Huawei
Huawei is a leading global information
and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Huawei's
177,000 employees worldwide are committed to developing innovative
products that support operator, enterprise and consumer customers
around the world. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company
fully owned by its employees, and has been named by Interbrand as
one of the world's top 100 brands – the first Chinese company to
receive this recognition.
Huawei Canada has been in
operation since 2008, and now employs over 700 people in
Canada. Huawei's innovative wireless products and services
support many of Canada's leading telecommunications
companies, and the Huawei Canada Research Centre is a national
leader in advanced communications research, including
5G. Huawei is proud to be a key part of Canada's ICT
Ecosystem, and is recognized as one of the Top 30 investors in
research & development.
Media inquiries:
Nathan
Gibson
Bell Canada
905-614-9596
nathan.gibson@bell.ca
@Bell_News
Scott Bradley
Huawei Canada
613-558-5333
scott.bradley@huawei.com
Brian Boychuk
BeWhere
416-272-1268
bboychuk@bewhere.com
Bell investor inquiries:
Thane Fotopoulos
514-870-4619
thane.fotopoulos@bell.ca
SOURCE Bell Canada