Malaysian company Sustainable Hrvest, a pioneer of smart farming, has deployed LoRa-enabled sensors and LoRaWAN-based gateways across its durian fruit farms in Malaysia, with the help of semiconductor, IoT systems and cloud connectivity service provider Semtech.

Durians are one of the country’s most popular fruits, but durian trees are challenging to grow and harvest. These plants are sensitive to weather and moisture conditions and need constant maintenance for high yield.

LoRa-enabled sensors now give Malaysian farmers real-time data on the health of their farms throughout every step of the growth cycle: pre-harvest, harvest and post-harvest. This real-time visibility, says Semtech, has made farmers’ lives easier while also helping to improve their bottom line.

Using LoRa as an IoT wireless platform, Semtech’s LoRa chipsets connect sensors to the cloud and enable real-time communication of data and analytics. This instantaneous management helps to enhance the efficiency and productivity of sustainable IoT use cases – in this instance, fruit farming.

Currently, there are 30 LoRa-powered farms in Malaysia, with new plantations expected to go live in the coming 12 months. Designed by Sustainable Hrvest, the IoT nodes utilizing LoRaWAN implement LoRa’s low-power, long-range sensors and last more than four years in the field without needing replacement.

This purpose-built chip-to-cloud sensor platform monitors the flow rate and pressure of irrigation systems to maintain soil moisture levels. It also tracks the nutrients in the soil. The data-driven farming practice gives Malaysian farmers the ability to remotely care for their crops.

Globally, there are more than 300 million LoRa end nodes deployed across a wide array of customer applications – from agriculture and healthcare to industrial and transportation.

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As seen in other global markets, smartphone shipments in the Middle East and Africa have fallen 11% year-on-year, the lowest Q1 shipment figure since 2016, as macroeconomic factors continue to batter economies.

Counterpoint Research senior analyst Yang Wang said: “The MEA smartphone market saw another tough quarter as the macroeconomic environment remained challenging.

“Difficulties impacting consumer spending towards big-ticket upgrades such as smartphones are now well known, and both consumers and OEMs are adjusting to the new realities with extra caution. The prospect of a V-shaped rebound has dimmed as companies prioritize inventory management, cost controls and streamlined product portfolios.”

Despite the dip in shipment figures, there were “signs of stabilisation” at the end of the quarter. Manufacturers reported high sales due to Ramadan and Easter promotions. This proved beneficial to Apple as its iPhone 14 range, especially its Pro and Pro Max models, were extremely popular. Apple was the only top-five vendor to report growth with a 35% increase in year-on-year shipments.

Xiaomi and Samsung saw a 2% dip, and Inifinix with a 6%, meanwhile, Tecno took a 10% hit. 

Looking ahead, Wang said the poor consumer demand will “remain the main theme for the rest of the year” as consumers will retain current devices and upgrade later. Shipment levels will “improve gradually” in H2 as smartphone vendors and distributors launch new devices and promotions. 

This will coincide with better economic conditions as global interest rates and energy prices stabilize, providing much-needed breathing room for consumers in emerging markets,” said Wang. 

This Industry Viewpoint was authored by Steve Alexander, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President, Ciena

The telecom and networking industry is a foundation for the digital transformation of every critical business sector—from agriculture to manufacturing to finance and more. Essentially, telecom underpins every part of our lives, and as such has an increasingly vital … [visit site to read more]

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Cambodia’s Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Chea Vandeth, has announced government plans for a submarine cable connection from Hong Kong to Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh in 2024.

It will replace an earlier version – much earlier; it was connected more than a decade ago.

The funding for the new submarine cable will involve a loan from the Chinese government. In ten years’ time, the minister suggested during his announcement, the sale of internet services  will repay the entirety of the loan. The project is to be implemented for 30 years, “so in addition to repaying the loan, we will make a profit”, he added. 

In addition to connecting the submarine cable, he said that the telecommunications ministry is working to install up to 1,000 internet expansion antenna masts in several of Phnom Penh’s districts. It will also dismantle internet booster and repeater devices, which the ministry considers disruptive to internet speed.

As you might expect, Cambodian demand for internet services increased dramatically following the Covid-19 pandemic and yet the country has been dependent on infrastructure that was connected up to 15 years ago. Making Cambodia’s internet services faster and cheaper is certain to be popular, therefore.

According to figures cited by the Phnom Penh Post, as of February, Cambodia had more than 17 million registered SIM cards (a little more than the population, estimated at 16,891,245) and more than 310,000 fixed internet users. 

The country has 38 internet service providers, and five onshore and submarine fibre optic infrastructure operators. There are an estimated 640 kilometres of submarine fibre optic cable in Cambodian waters.

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