Guests: Sean Horan (LinkedIn) | Craig Steen (LinkedIn)
Companies: GXC (Twitter) | JBI Distributors (LinkedIn)
Show: Let’s Talk

Food plays a crucial role in our lives and we would not get very far without it. Yet, due to the nature of the industry many farms are in rural areas where connectivity is not always accessible. Although WiFi has many benefits, it does not always fit some of the needs of food producers and that is where private cellular networks come in. 

In this episode of TFiR: Let’s Talk, Swapnil Bhartiya sits down with two guests, Sean Horan, VP of Sales at GXC, and Craig Steen, CEO at JBI Distributors, to discuss the partnership between the two companies and how they are tackling the connectivity challenges in the food supply industry. They go into depth about GXC’s cellular solution and how it is helping to bridge some of the limitations of WiFi networks for this particular industry.  

Key highlights of this video interview are:

• JBI is focused on the food supply industry with livestock producers. Since the company’s clients are mainly rural based, network connectivity is a major challenge, which is why they have partnered with GXC. 
• GXC is a private cellular wireless solution provider helping enterprises launch a cellular solution using the data they have on-site, helping to manage and operate it and keeping it secure. Horan discusses the benefits of GXC’s solutions such as noise cancellation and encryption.  
• The solution will help JBI’s large food processors collect the necessary data and protect their data network. Steen explains how with the partnership, they can offer a cost-effective deployment that can be managed. He talks about the importance of leveraging technology in the food industry since it is so critical to our everyday needs. 
• Horan goes into detail about the connectivity challenges in the food industry explaining that many of the production facilities and farms are in rural areas which are not currently served by the three big carriers or ISPs. He explains how the GXC solution can make their connectivity more efficient and they can manage it themselves. 
• While WiFi is great in many use cases, it is not always the best option in industrial use cases. Horan discusses how WiFi can get flooded in cases of multiple access points or where there is significant interference. He talks about the limitations of WiFi and how private cellular solutions can be used to complement it. 
• GXC is helping to solve these problems with their mesh solution which enables you to extend coverage on the cellular channel and do a backhaul on the channel too. He takes us through some of the scenarios where a mesh solution can be particularly useful such as where buildings and trees would otherwise cause interference. 
• Dealing with securing data and sensitive information is a key concern for large food suppliers due to the cybersecurity risks. Several very large food producers have already suffered cyber attacks which crippled their network. Steen explains why GXC’s solution is a good option, providing a good return on investment. 
• Horan talks about how a cellular solution like GXC’s is more secure than WiFi options such as all the data remaining on site and how everything resides behind the firewall and it is inherently encrypted. He discusses the other key aspects of private cellular networks such as enabling it to be integrated with other encryption methods. 

This summary was written by Emily Nicholls.