Kerlink to Power Rollout of Automated Stem Water Measuring System

Apr 20, 2020Kerlink, a provider of solutions dedicated to the Internet of Things (IoT), and Saturas, the developer of a stem-water measurement system for efficient farming, have announced that Kerlink will provide Saturas with LoRa-based hardware and software as it launches its technology commercially. This will include its solar-powered Wirnet iStation, its Wanesy Management Center for managing private IoT networks, and its Wanesy Network-as-a-Service, which combines infrastructure, operations, security and professional services.

"Precision agriculture, led by precision irrigation, is a vital and rapidly growing global business sector with an estimated annual growth rate of over 20 percent," said Anat Halgoa Solomon, Saturas' co-founder and CEO, in a prepared statement. "Saturas is positioned to establish a strong presence in this market, and it is vital that we partner with the leading, most reliable companies in the supply chain. The quality of Kerlink's hardware and software solutions has been proven many times in diverse, challenging environments around the world, and will be a natural fit for our global commercial rollout."

"Smart farming, or ag-tech, is one of the Internet of Things' most important vertical markets but it needs the breakthrough innovations that companies like Saturas are bringing to fields and orchards to deliver on its promise," added Romain Weryk, Kerlink's key account manager, in the prepared statement. "Kerlink's equipment and software, with their flexibility for supporting customized private networks, are the backbone of IoT networks across more than 120,000 installations in 69 countries."

Kerlink, based in France, is a global provider of solutions for designing, launching and operating public and private LoRaWAN IoT networks. The company offers a product portfolio of industrial-grade network equipment; network-core, operations and management software; and value-added applications. The firm specializes in enabling intelligent IoT connectivity for such vertical markets as fleet management, transportation, logistics, retail, asset tracking, smart metering and smart agriculture, as well as smart cities, buildings and factories.

Saturas, an Israeli startup, has raised approximately $9 million, including a €1.5 million H2020 grant from the European Commission in 2019, to support its miniature, tree-embedded sensor system that continuously measures the stem-water potential (SWP) of trees and vines for irrigation management. Saturas developed a system for measuring SWP automatically, replacing the manual devices that fruit-tree and vineyard growers have used for decades. Using Kerlink stations, the company's LoRa sensors transmit processed data to central, automated irrigation-control systems, tailoring irrigation to crops' real-time needs.