Malaysia operator U Mobile forged a partnership with Braintree Technologies to speed adoption of smart farming use cases in the country, with the goal to improve efficiency and advance digital transformation in the agriculture sector.

The agreement will see the pair create integrated services that enhance connectivity, improve resource management and promote sustainable farming practices, they noted in a joint statement.

Braintree CEO Arif Makhdzir explained it aims to positively impact the livelihood of farmers by combining its advanced robots with the operator’s 5G network.

The two companies plan to demonstrate use cases, such as precision farming for better monitoring of crops, autonomous machinery to cut costs and improve operational efficiency, and remote monitoring and management using IoT systems. They also will explore using data analytics and AI for risk mitigation, as well as AR and VR to enhance knowledge sharing and operational training.

Malaysia-based Braintree is a specialist in drones, robotics and AI for precision farming, with a focus on palm oil, rice and rubber.

U Mobile CIO Neil Tomkinson added the tie-up has the potential to drive productivity and efficiency in the local farming community, enabling digital transformation across the industry.

The operator was selected by the government last November to build the country’s second 5G network.