Kerlink, Libatel Collaborate on Lebanon’s First IoT Smart-Agriculture Project

Kerlink and Libatel, a provider of Information and Communications Technology in the Middle East and the Gulf, have announced the first IoT LoRaWAN smart-agriculture project in Lebanon: an intelligent network monitoring growing conditions at one of the country’s most famous vineyards.

The pilot project at Domain Chateau Kefraya, which began this summer, is generating data and information about the vineyard’s terroir, which includes topography, soil conditions, climate and sunlight that give wine grapes their distinctive character.

At the project’s conclusion this November, the chateau will use the information to optimize wine-parcel classification over its 300 hectares of vineyards. By monitoring data coming from the vineyards, and permanently controlling the climate conditions, the maturity of the different types of grapes and other specific parameters, the chateau is able to allocate in anticipation the different parcels to the different productions, and especially selects the best grapes for high-end and renamed wine.

The customized LoRaWAN network deployment, which includes Kerlink Wirnet Station technology, is a proof-of-concept project involving Libatel and Ogero Telecom, Lebanon’s largest telecom operator, and will be part of Libatel’s bid to support Ogero’s deployment of a nationwide IoT network in Lebanon.

Libatel, which is managing network operation and maintenance, data collection and software development, provided a dashboard tailored to the specific needs of Chateau Kefraya. The collected data is accessible from a computer or smartphone on a platform designed by the company.

Agriculture is Lebanon’s third-largest economic sector and includes a wide variety of terrain and climatic conditions.

“Lebanon is ripe for implementing smart-agriculture applications that provide our producers real-time information to better manage crop maintenance, water consumption and fertilizer and pesticide applications,” said André Chkeibane, country manager for Libatel Lebanon. “This improved efficiency supports sustainable-agriculture, while maximizing yields for producers, and this project with Chateau Kefraya will demonstrate specifically how the IoT can benefit Lebanese vineyards.”

“Kerlink’s low-power, wide-area network solutions can be customized for virtually any project, from nationwide deployments to small local networks and indoor applications,” said Stephane Dejean, chief marketing officer for Kerlink. “Working with Libatel on this proof-of-concept in Lebanon’s first smart-agriculture IoT deployment provides a concrete case study that illustrates the flexibility of our solutions, their simple rollout and the critical information they help collect and deliver.”

LoRaWAN™ is a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) solution for wireless, bidirectional and secure connectivity of battery-powered devices in local, regional or national networks.

The technology also enables device native geolocation using the radio network and geolocation-ready LoRaWAN™ gateways, like other references available in Kerlink’s portfolio. End users receive strong support from the LoRa Alliance, a global, 500-member-plus ecosystem of companies and organizations that share their experiences operating the network and that provide the different building blocks of successful end-to-end IoT solutions.