LiveCare LoRa-based IoT system enables accurate analysis of a cows health and milk producing ability

Semtech Corporation (Nasdaq: SMTC), a leading supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, announced that SK Telecom, one of South Koreas largest telecommunication providers, has created an Internet of Things (IoT) cattle healthcare solution leveraging Semtechs LoRa® devices and wireless radio frequency technology (LoRa Technology). The product, LiveCare, is a LoRa-equipped bio-capsule which is implanted into a cows gastrointestinal tract and monitors for a variety of health indicators.

"Semtechs LoRa Technology allows us to monitor cow health in real-time," said Taehee Moon, Project Leader for the Small Farm Project Group of SK Telecom. "Our unique solution lets farmers know immediately when a cows health is compromised. It takes the guesswork out of farming and lets the rancher focus on preventing cattle disease. Healthier cows mean more milk can be produced and dairy farms can focus more on growing their business."

LiveCares LoRa-based IoT hardware is embedded in a bio-capsule, and the device implants itself in a cows ruminant stomach to continuously collect data. Ranchers monitor the data transmitted from the devices for anomalies in a cows body temperature and other vitals to detect the onset of disease, estrus and to forecast delivery of calves. Unlike other solutions, the LiveCare device is shielded from being tampered with by outside conditions due to its strategic position inside the cow itself. This solution is expected to drastically improve the quality of life for the cow and by extension the cattle as a whole on the dairy farm. Healthier cows result in higher quality of milk, meat and higher earnings for the farmer. A trial run on a South Korean farm using the technology showed an increase in annual milk harvest of 1,200 liters per cow, an increase of $1,100 in income per cow for the farmer and an additional $400 in savings for each estrus successfully planned using the LiveCare solution. SK Telecom plans on extending its services to provide automatic notification to ranchers of contagious disease as well as location tracking in the near future.

"LoRa Technology is the solution of choice for agriculture due to its long range, ease of deployment, ease of use, and flexibility," said Vivek Mohan, Director of IoT in Semtechs Wireless and Sensing Products Group. "With LoRa, ranchers are empowered knowing that their animals are being monitored as efficiently as possible. Smart agriculture is just one example of how Semtechs LoRa Technology is creating a smarter planet."

Learn more about LoRa Technology and smart agriculture applications.

About Semtechs LoRa® Devices and Wireless RF Technology

Semtechs LoRa devices and wireless radio frequency technology is a widely adopted long-range, low-power solution for IoT that gives telecom companies, IoT application makers and system integrators the feature set necessary to deploy low-cost, interoperable IoT networks, gateways, sensors, module products, and IoT services worldwide. IoT networks based on the LoRaWAN™ specification have been deployed in 100 countries and Semtech is a founding member of the LoRa Alliance™, the fastest growing IoT Alliance for Low Power Wide Area Network applications. To learn more about how LoRa enables IoT, visit Semtechs LoRa site and join the LoRa Community to access free training as well as an online industry catalog showcasing the products you need for building your ideal IoT application.

About SK Telecom

SK Telecom is Koreas largest telecommunications company with more than 29 million mobile subscribers, which accounts for around 50 percent of the total market. Armed with unmatched competitiveness in mobile connectivity, SK Telecom is actively developing powerful platforms (Lifestyle Enhancement Platform, Media Platform and IoT Platform) aimed at delivering optimal value to customers and sustaining growth in the rapidly changing business environment. For more information, visit: https://www.sktelecom.com/index_en.html.

About Semtech

Semtech Corporation is a leading supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms for high-end consumer, enterprise computing, communications, and industrial equipment. Products are designed to benefit the engineering community as well as the global community. The Company is dedicated to reducing the impact it, and its products, have on the environment. Internal green programs seek to reduce waste through material and manufacturing control, use of green technology and designing for resource reduction. Publicly traded since 1967, Semtech is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol SMTC. For more information, visit http://www.semtech.com.