In short: Private 5G enables precision farming, livestock monitoring, autonomous machinery, drone operations, and security systems on UK farms. The technology is proven — but most farms can't access it because big telcos won't build in rural areas and enterprise providers charge six-figure fees.
Key Takeaways
- Six proven use cases — from per-plant crop monitoring to GPS livestock tracking and £49.5M-worth of theft prevention
- The bottleneck is connectivity, not technology — sensors and automation tools exist, but most farms lack the network to run them
- Private 5G works in agricultural terrain — our Llanthony Valley deployment proved it in exactly the kind of landscape farms occupy
The Connectivity Problem on UK Farms
Most UK farms have terrible broadband. If you're lucky, you get a patchy 4G signal. If you're not, you're working with satellite or a sub-5Mbps fixed line that drops when it rains.
That hasn't mattered much historically — farming didn't need fast internet. But modern agriculture is changing fast. Precision sensors, GPS-tracked livestock, autonomous machinery, and drone monitoring all depend on reliable, high-bandwidth connectivity that simply doesn't exist on most farms.
Private 5G changes that.
Six Things Private 5G Enables
1. Precision Farming
IoT sensors placed across fields monitor soil moisture, nutrient levels, atmospheric temperature, and humidity in real time. Instead of blanket-spraying an entire field, you target specific areas that need attention.
The result: less fertiliser, less water, less waste — and potentially significant yield improvements. UKTIN research suggests precision farming could increase crop yields by up to 200%.
2. Livestock Monitoring
GPS collars and health sensors track your animals around the clock. Monitor ovulation cycles, body temperature, movement patterns, and early illness indicators without physically checking every animal every day.
Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley deployed 5G trackers on livestock across their 126-acre estate, eliminating connectivity blackspots and giving staff real-time visibility of animal health and location.
3. Autonomous Machinery
Self-driving tractors, robotic weeders, and automated harvesters all need low-latency connectivity to operate safely. Private 5G delivers consistent sub-10ms latency across the farm — something public mobile networks can't guarantee in rural areas (if they're available at all).
This matters for labour shortages too. As it becomes harder to find seasonal workers, automation becomes less of a nice-to-have and more of a necessity.
4. Drone Operations
Agricultural drones can monitor crop health, track herd movements, plot grazing patterns, and spot problems before they become expensive. They can also reduce pesticide use by identifying exactly where treatment is needed.
But drones need real-time data links. A private 5G network gives them the bandwidth and latency they need to stream high-resolution imagery and respond to commands in real time.
5. Equipment and Livestock Security
Rural theft costs UK agriculture an estimated £49.5 million per year. GPS trackers on machinery, sensors on gates, and movement alerts on livestock enclosures can all run over a private 5G network.
Cannon Hall Farm installed trackers on equipment, livestock, and gates across their estate — providing immediate theft alerts that don't depend on unreliable public mobile signal.
6. Farm Management and Wellbeing
Beyond the operational benefits, reliable connectivity means farm workers can make emergency calls, access online services, and stay connected. In remote areas, that's not a luxury — it's a mental health and safety issue.
Why Most Farms Can't Access This Yet
The technology exists. The use cases are proven. So why aren't more UK farms using private 5G?
Big telcos won't build there. Mobile operators invest where they'll get the highest return. A farm in rural Wales or Dorset doesn't generate enough revenue to justify a base station.
Enterprise providers are too expensive. The private 5G providers that do exist — Vodafone Business, BT, AWTG — target large enterprises with six-figure contracts. A 200-acre mixed farm can't justify that spend.
The result: the farmers who would benefit most from smart agriculture technology are the ones least likely to have the connectivity to use it.
What a Farm-Ready 5G Network Looks Like
A practical agricultural 5G deployment doesn't need to be complex:
- One or two base stations providing coverage across the farm
- Indoor and outdoor routers connecting farm buildings and field equipment
- Managed operation — someone else handles monitoring, maintenance, and upgrades
- Simple pricing — a monthly subscription, not a six-figure capital project
This is exactly how we deploy networks in rural areas. Our Llanthony Valley deployment — in a remote Welsh valley with near-identical terrain to most UK farms — proved that private 5G works in agricultural environments.
If you're a farmer or land manager exploring what private 5G could do for your operation, get in touch. You can also read more about our approach to rural networks or explore our agriculture sector page.