German pharmaceutical and life sciences company Bayer is using 1NCE services in its smart insect traps to protect the world’s canola crops.

To help farmers detect pests at an early stage and protect critical agriculture, Bayer’s Crop Protection Innovation Lab has developed the MagicTrap, a yellow trap that catches and counts potential pests in canola fields automatically and provides data for developing an efficient and sustainable crop protection system.

For communications between the yellow trap and the app used by farmers to monitor their crops, Bayer uses 1NCE, a provider of connectivity and software for IoT with a global flat rate.

Weevils, ground fleas or glossy beetles are dangerous pests in canola cultivation. Their infestation often leads to total crop failure. For years, yellow traps have allowed farmers to detect and assess pest infestations. Insects fly to the traps and fall into a water basin where they can be counted.

However, the evaluation and maintenance require significant physical effort. The MagicTrap now counts and detects the insects automatically, eliminating the need for farmers to drive around to check the traps daily. Instead, they simply receive a photo-based analysis from the MagicTrap on their smartphone.

“For our digital yellow traps, the farmer should not have to worry about SIM cards and contracts,” said Fabian Born, product manager at Bayer. “The device must be ready to use anywhere, immediately, and without technical preparation. 1NCE convinced us with its unique offer of worldwide availability and a simple pricing model over the entire lifecycle of a device.”

Alexander Sator, CEO of 1NCE, added: “Classic mobile contracts with long-term lengths or volume tariffs are a showstopper for the development of smart and scalable IoT, and worldwide accessibility at a fixed price over the entire lifecycle of a device is a must-have. Today, we can provide reliable connectivity to our customers in over 110 countries. We are pleased work with Bayer on this important concept to protect the world’s crops.”

Bayer has core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major problems presented by a growing and aging global population.

In 2021, the group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of €44.1bn. R&D expenses before special items amounted to €5.3bn.

1NCE is a provider of connectivity and software for IoT at a global flat rate, offering fast, secure and reliable cellular connectivity and software services in more than 100 countries worldwide. The IoT flat rate is designed to last over the entire lifetime of an IoT device with a one-off payment of US$10 for ten years, making IoT applications affordable and scalable for smart utilities, asset tracking, vehicle telematics and other uses.

The company – founded in 2017 by Alexander Sator together with Deutsche Telekom – is headquartered in Cologne, Germany, and has 200 staff in Amsterdam, Cologne, Hamburg, Hong Kong, London, Miami, Paris, Riga, Rome and Warsaw.