Farmers are being held back by poor mobile phone and broadband coverage, according to agri-tech company PrognostiX.

The company has now launched a new approach, in partnership with St David's Poultry Team, to provide 4G coverage on almost any farm.

Currently used on building sites, the Rapid Site product from EE can be set up within just three days, and will provide superfast WIFI capable of handling all the data, internet usage and phone calls required.

Although the government has committed to rolling out superfast broadband to 95 per cent of UK premises by the end of 2017, many rural areas still have extremely limited broadband coverage.

But EE's 4G network already covers more than 95 per cent of the population and it is aiming to cover 95 per cent of the geographical area by 2020.

Alan Beynon, director at PrognostiX, said: "Farmers are really embracing technology, and the opportunities to use real-time data to aid management decisions are tremendous.

“Modern equipment is capable of sending large amounts of information to be processed on a single computer, but at the moment wireless connectivity is a huge barrier on farms.

"The opportunities to link up all the data generated on farm, from temperature and humidity sensors and milking robots to production data and feed ration information, are really exciting.

“The detail is there, we just need the wireless connectivity and software to turn it into live, actionable information which farmers can use to improve business efficiencies.”

Keith Evans, PrognostiX technical consultant, said: "Vets and farmers increasingly demand internet access in the field,” says PrognostiX technical consultant Keith Evans. “You can complete reports, access farm or veterinary records, and get work completed instantly rather than waiting until you’re back in the office.”

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For more information about the Rapid Site, please contact PrognostiX on 01392 872893 or email info@prognostix-uk.com.