Inmarsat and Farmbot have entered into an agreement that will enable the agtech start-up to deliver its water monitoring software-as-a-service solution to farmers located anywher in Australia.

Under the agreement, Inmarsat will provide satellite connectivity services to Farmbot through the deployment of its IsatDataPro services, a two-way messaging service designed for machine-to-machine communication.

Farmbot managing director Andrew Coppin said the support will help Australian farmers based in remote locations overcome frequent cellular network connectivity challenges.

"We are really excited about the opportunities that our alliance with Inmarsat and real-time, two-way communications can bring to rural Australia and other regions. Affordable satellite-controlled pumps and machinery is a first for the Australian agriculture industry," he said. "This partnership has the potential to significantly improve the management of critical water resources for rural farmers worldwide, resulting in tangible productivity gains."

Last August, Farmbot had deployed 1,700 of its remote monitoring units to farms across Australia. Each monitor sits on top of a water source, such as a water tank or dam, and delivers near real-time, event-driven reports to farmers when algorithms detect abnormal behaviour, such as when the water falls too quickly, rises too quickly, or stops moving altogether.