NTT, Kubota Corporation and NTT DOCOMO conducted a joint demonstration experiment (hereinafter, ‘the demonstration’) to stabilise communications and ensure continuous video transmission for the remote operation and remote monitoring of robotic agricultural machinery in mountainous areas. In the demonstration, optimal control was applied to video transmission required for robotic agricultural machinery operation by combining mobile and satellite communications, together with video control technology. As a result, visibility of transmitted video was maintained even under fluctuating communication conditions, demonstrating the effectiveness of the technology as a communications infrastructure supporting remote operation and monitoring of robotic agricultural machinery.
This technology is scheduled to be exhibited by NTT at Tsukuba Forum 2026, to be held from May 27-28, 2026.
Background
Achieving sustainable agriculture in the years ahead requires the promotion of automated farming operations to address labour shortages, as well as efficient farm management utilising data. In Japan, the government is also advancing institutional development toward regulatory reform that would allow robotic agricultural machinery to operate on public roads under conditions ensuring safety through remote monitoring.
To date, NTT and Kubota have engaged in research, development and service creation utilising ICT to support innovation for agricultural producers, including visualisation of farm management, improved operational efficiency and automation, and the realisation of high-quality agriculture.
However, in hilly and mountainous regions, which account for approximately 40% of Japan’s cultivated land area, fluctuations in mobile communication quality are likely to occur due to terrain and physical obstructions. As a result, delays and disconnections may occur in communications for robotic agricultural machinery operating within and between fields. Since unstable communications directly affect safety in the remote operation and monitoring of robotic agricultural machinery, stable transmission of required video and data remains a key challenge for practical implementation.
Details of the initiative
In the demonstration, multipath control using multiple mobile and satellite communication links was applied according to communication conditions. This confirmed that stable communications could be maintained by supplementing mobile communication links with satellite communication links in areas such as mountainous farmland, where mobile network quality tends to deteriorate within and between fields.
In addition, video control technology was applied to automatically adjust video compression according to communication conditions while prioritising image quality in critical areas, such as the travel path and crops visible in the video feed. This enabled both stable video transmission and sufficient visibility during remote operation and monitoring.
Figure 1. Future vision for communication and video control in the remote operation and monitoring of robotic agricultural machinery
Key technologies
(1) Technology combining mobile and satellite communication links
Optimal control combining mobile and satellite communication links was achieved through multi-link control technology based on the communication quality of each link. By enabling mobile and satellite communication links to complement each other, stable communications can be maintained even in mountainous areas.
(2) Video control technology that compresses video while preserving quality in critical areas
Based on predicted communication bandwidth, stable video transmission was achieved by maintaining video quality in critical areas, such as the travel path of robotic agricultural machinery, while compressing video data in non-critical areas.
Figure 2. Experimental configuration
Roles of each company
- NTT
Provision of the “Cradio,” a wireless quality prediction technology and the “Cooperative Infrastructure Platform,” a multi-link optimal control technology based on quality prediction, as well as implementation of the demonstration - Kubota
Provision of robotic agricultural machinery and the demonstration field - DOCOMO
Provision of video control technology that preserves image quality in critical areas while compressing data outside those areas in coordination with wireless quality prediction technology
Future outlook
The technologies for communication stabilisation and visibility enhancement demonstrated in this project will be used to improve the practicality of communications and video transmission for the remote operation and monitoring of robotic agricultural machinery, contributing to the future realisation of fully autonomous operations. Efforts will also continue toward the social implementation of data-driven agriculture both in Japan and internationally, with the aim of achieving sustainable agriculture.
In addition, NTT will continue promoting solutions to social challenges through the use of satellite technologies under the NTT C89 brand.
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