The Principality presents an agreement with Cellnex to implement pilot projects of the internet of things in rural Asturias

• The initiatives will focus on energy efficiency, measurements in the agri-food area, and sensors applied to social care
• The Government of Asturias and the company will sign a broader protocol on digitalisation applied to different sectors

The Government of Asturias and the company Cellnex Telecom have entered an agreement to launch a series of pilot projects to implement technology linked to the Internet of Things (IoT) in rural areas. Borja Sánchez, Regional Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, met this morning with Albert Cuatrecasas, CEO of the company in Spain, at the company’s stand at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to finalise the details for putting these programmes into action.

This initial agreement is the beginning of a broader collaboration framework to be signed shortly between the wireless telecommunications services and infrastructure company and the Government of the Principality of Asturias.

The most immediate commitment concerns developing four programmes focused on LoRa (Long Range) technology, which provides a wireless connection of up to 20 kilometres, is robust in withstanding interferences and has a low energy consumption. In principle, these pilots are expected to cover various different actions and sectors:

• Energy efficiency. Installing sensors to check temperature, humidity and presence in work and research offices, which could be located in the Thin5G University Chair on the Gijón Campus.
• Food industry. Two projects are proposed in this area. On the one hand, installing sensors to control temperature, humidity and CO2 in a cider press, and on the other, using sensors to monitor cattle.
• Social housing. Measuring environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and CO2 in a nursing home, which will also include door opening control and an SOS button for emergencies.

All the pilots are to be installed in rural areas, except for the university campus case. The system is complemented by data monitoring and analysis using the Cellnex SmartBrain platform.

Collaboration with the company Cellnex, the European leader in telecommunications infrastructures as a neutral operator, opens the way for the Principality to make strides in rolling out new connectivity technologies that improve public services for citizens.

The protocol to be signed in the near future also affects Cellnex’s contribution to the digital transformation of companies, training talent in the region for better employability and attracting new companies to generate value for the area.

Borja Sánchez, Regional Minister of Science, underscored the importance of this alliance with the company for addressing “projects to improve connectivity services in our region, especially in a sector as important to us as rural areas”.

Sánchez recalled that the implementation of LoRa pilot projects is a commitment that the ministry had acquired to introduce new technologies such as IoT applied to strategic sectors in the region, such as agri-food and the environment. These initiatives, he added, “are a first step for subsequent, broader-based projects with ramifications in more sectors”.

For his part, Albert Cuatrecasas, CEO of Cellnex Spain, rates the initiative as very positive, since it dovetails with the company’s commitment to promoting sustainable connectivity, bearing in mind that “our society, our industries and the way in which people and things interact with each other are undergoing a huge shift towards digital. And in this process, at Cellnex we offer a wide range of solutions in which connectivity plays a fundamental role by enabling digital transformation in the places where we live, work and enjoy ourselves”. The Regional Minister of Science was accompanied by the Director General of Innovation, Research and Digital Transformation, Iván Aitor Lucas; the Director General of Security and Digital Strategy, Javier Fernández; and the director of Management of Public Telecommunications Infrastructures of the Principality of Asturias (Gitpa), Luis González.

In addition to the collaboration plans, the Asturian delegation made the most of the visit to the Cellnex stand to present its programme called Asturias, Nomad Paradise, which focuses on attracting digital nomads who wish to telework in Asturias, launched at the MWC in Barcelona.