Usina Santa Terezinha, the largest exporter of VHP sugar in the southern region of Brazil, has entered into a partnership with TIM, the country’s leading agribusiness company, to bring connectivity to more than 700,000 hectares in Paraná, including 300,000 hectares of productive area. Headquartered in Maringá (PR), the plant aims to drive digital transformation with the support of the operator, which recognizes the sugarcane sector as one of the most automated in Brazil. R$44 million is being invested in the project, which will benefit the population of 51 municipalities in the northwest region of Paraná, including digitally more than 5,200 rural properties, seven health units, and two municipal schools.
The initiative was driven by the Paraná Competitivo program - created by Invest Paraná (State Government Investment Promotion and Attraction Agency) to make the State more attractive to new ventures that generate employment, income and sustainable development - and will enable the evolution of the digital transformation process of Usina Santa Terezinha, in addition to the social and digital inclusion of neighboring communities, which still do not have access to connectivity.
With the expansion of 4G, residents of the region will benefit from improvements in areas such as education and health, for example, and also from ease of access to information and public services, generating increased business opportunities, economic development of the region and digital inclusion.
"The strength of Paraná's agribusiness drives the economy and we are very happy to support its growth through the partnership with Usina Santa Terezinha. We are pioneers and leaders in 4G coverage in the countryside and we want to continue contributing to the digital transformation of our customers, benefiting communities, schools, basic health units and small and medium-sized rural producers in the surrounding areas with an open network with the same quality as the city", highlights TIM's VP of Revenue, Fabio Avellar.
Founded in 1964, Usina de Açúcar Santa Terezinha Ltda. is one of the largest companies in the sugar and ethanol segment in the southern region of Brazil, with more than eight thousand employees in 35 cities in Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul. "The commitment of Usina Santa Terezinha goes beyond the production of sugar, ethanol and bioelectricity", explains Paulo Meneguetti, president of the plant, which operates in cities in Paraná such as Maringá, Paranacity, Terra Rica, Rondon, Cidade Gaúcha, São Tomé, Ivaté, Umuarama, Tapejara, Moreira Sales and Paranaguá, and the city of Mato Grosso do Sul, Eldorado, being one of the largest employers and tax generators in the northwest region of Paraná.
"We are deeply involved in the development of the cities where we operate, and this partnership increases connectivity in the interior of the state of Paraná, in addition to enabling Usina Santa Terezinha to advance with projects that require technology, certainly bringing a positive impact to the entire community," says Meneguetti, reinforcing that the goal is to be a company that contributes to the quality of life, well-being and progress of communities. He highlights that this partnership with TIM will further strengthen this commitment.
Pioneering spirit
TIM has the largest mobile network in the country and is a pioneer in the digital transformation of Brazilian agribusiness, with the 4G TIM no Campo program. Currently, more than 22 million hectares are covered, benefiting more than 1.9 million people in 1,043 municipalities. More than 311 thousand rural properties are covered, providing digital inclusion for 455 public schools in rural areas and 147 basic health units.
TIM has signed contracts with more than 60 major Brazilian agribusiness groups. Among them are important players in the sugar-energy and sugar-alcohol sectors, such as São Martinho, BP Bioenergy, Citrosuco, Jalles Machado, Usina Santa Adélia, Adecoagro, SJC Bioenergia, Grupo Pedra Agroindustrial and Usina Dacalda (also in Paraná). The expectation for this year is to reach the mark of 26 million hectares connected with 4G.
The operator also provides the largest Internet of Things network in Brazil, with more than 5,100 cities covered by NB-IoT technology, which is essential for connecting machines and people. This functionality allows traditional coverage to be expanded by up to 40%. In addition, the different solutions offered by TIM allow real-time monitoring of crops and machines in the field, which contributes to more effective monitoring of incidents and immediate action.
TIM in Paraná
Market leader in Paraná, with almost 50% of the mobile telephony market (7.2 million customers), TIM is also ahead in 4G coverage, present in 100% of the 399 cities in Paraná. The operator was the first to offer 5G coverage in all 75 neighborhoods of Curitiba, connecting more than 85% of the population with the new technology. This leading role is natural for the operator, which has been the market leader in the capital of Paraná since the beginning of its operations in Paraná.
