26 September 2019 – UTB and ANIAN Sendirian Berhad (ANIAN) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will enhance smart agriculture and smart environment in Brunei through research projects.
The signing took place at the Main Conference Room, UTB. Signing the MOU on behalf of UTB was Yang Mulia Awang Haji Ady Syarmin bin Hj Md Taib, the Acting Vice-Chancellor while Yang Mulia Mr Nicolas Guillou, Managing Director and Co-Founder of ANIAN represented ANIAN. Also present at the ceremony were Principal Officers from UTB and officers from ANIAN.
UTB is currently collaborating with Wireless and Photonic Network Research Centre (WiPNET) and Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP) of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM); MIMOS Berhad, Malaysia; Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural University, Indonesia; National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) Asia Center, Thailand; IPB University, Indonesia; and Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi (BPPT), Indonesia on a project entitled ‘NAPC: Networked ASEAN Peat Swamp Forest Communities’ which is an Internet of Things (IoT)-based solution for peat swamp forest monitoring, targeting the environmental and agricultural issues. This project is funded by the ASEAN-ICT Virtual Organisation projects of 2018 from National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan.
Through the MOU, ANIAN will provide UTB with LoRaWAN
(Long Range Wide Area Network) outdoor and/or indoor gateways and to provide and administer LoRaWAN network coverage for the NAPC: Networked ASEAN Peat Swamp Forest Communities, Smart Agriculture project, and UTB IoT lab. ANIAN will also provide technical support to UTB staff and students in terms of knowledge transfer and provide work placement opportunities for the students during their studies as well as employment opportunities following their graduation.
UTB also receives funding and technical support from Authority for Info-Communications Technology Industry (AITI) and ANIAN for the Smart research projects that will be the first of its kind to be deployed in Brunei.
ANIAN is a Communications Solutions provider and Systems Integrator. The company is principally involved in providing integrated Internet of Things (IoT), Information Technology (IT), business intelligence (BI) and communication solutions to implement Smart Nation projects for various industries including: Water, Agriculture, Transportation, Energy, Oil and Gas, Utilities, Telecommunications, Finance, Property Management and Health care for both Government and commercial clients.
ANIAN is currently deploying a LoRa based communications network to facilitate IoT implementations across Brunei territory which will allow Universities, Government and the Private Sector to undertake projects for Smart City, Smart Agriculture, Smart Building and Smart Environment use cases. The deployment of smart technologies is part of the Industrial Revolution 4.0 in Brunei and is in line with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah’s vision and the Governments Wawasan 2035 initiative that aims to make Brunei a truly smart nation by 2035.
