Looking to fulfil its mission to deliver connectivity to support real-time reporting of critical events, from flooding to farming disease outbreaks, the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has signed a five-year contract with communications provider BT to bolster rural connectivity for thousands of its field workers across England, Scotland and Wales.
Supported by 35 agencies and public bodies, Defra’s core mission is to be responsible for improving and protecting the environment in the UK, and has the stated aim of growing a green economy and sustaining thriving rural communities. It also supports food, farming and fishing industries.
The agency has four priority outcomes: improve the environment through cleaner air and water, minimised waste, and thriving plant and terrestrial and marine wildlife; reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon storage in the agricultural, waste, peat and tree planting sectors to help deliver net zero; reduce the likelihood and impact of flooding and coastal erosion on people, businesses, communities and the environment; and increase the sustainability, productivity and resilience of the agriculture, fishing, food and drink sectors, enhance biosecurity at the border, and raise animal welfare standards.
Under the terms of the deal, BT will support the real-time reporting of Defra’s data to help predict extreme weather events like flooding, and prevent farming disease outbreaks and offer connectivity to improve safety for remote and lone-workers. The contract, which will run for up to five years across England, Scotland and Wales, will use EE’s mobile network to provide 34,000 connections for workers and a range of devices, from water sensors to payment machines.
The connectivity will enable reliable reporting of real-time data on things like water quality, extreme weather events, flood risks and the spread of disease through farming crops or livestock. It will also support workers across the Department and its Cluster Members, including The Environment Agency, Animal, Plant and Health Agency, Natural England, Marine Management Organisation and The Rural Payment Agency.
The deal will also tap into EE’s investment in the £1.3bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme – designed to wipe so-called not-spots from the map, providing high-quality mobile coverage to 95% of the UK by 2025 – to bolster 4G coverage in some of the UK’s most remote areas, including access to BT’s digital tools to support Defra’s carbon reduction commitment, enabling both field and office-based Defra employees to work effectively.
Upgrades delivered under the SRN programme have in part enabled EE to expand 4G connectivity for its customers across the UK by a further 10,000 square kilometres between 2019 and 2024.
BT will also support Defra’s carbon reduction ambitions as part of the deal. It will be given access to key tools including eSIM capability and BT’s Carbon Dashboard, which provides visibility of electricity consumption and carbon emissions at an individual workload and application level to help minimise waste and reduce carbon-generating activities.
“It’s a privilege to welcome Defra to the EE network and to support their mission to restore and enhance the environment for the next generation,” said Andy Rowe, BT’s director of central government.
“Their workers perform critical work across the UK and it’s vital they are provided with reliable network coverage, especially in times of crisis,” he added. “For organisations with large fleets and field workers, hybrid working is about more than just home and office spaces. Staying connected on the go is critical for Defra’s workers who rely on mobile connectivity to operate effectively and serve the wider public community daily or in emergency situations.”
