Theres no question that mobile penetration is increasing. Five years ago, it was surprising enough if your granny knew how to text – nowadays, even cows can send an SMS. Sort of.

French monitoring solutions company Medria Technologies has launched two M2M solutions, VelPhone and HeatPhone, which farmers can use to monitor their cows. SIM cars are housed in data collection devices in a cows stable – when calving begins or when a cow is in heat, signs are picked up by sensors, and the farmer is notified via SMS.

Deutsche Telekom has partnered with Medria to equip 5,000 farms around Europe with the apps and Telekom SIM cards.

“M2M solutions deliver major benefits in nearly all industries,” says Jürgen Hase, head of Deutsche Telekom’s M2M Competence Center. “That is why we are banking on innovative partners like Medria Technologies, who know the specific demand and use cases in their industry. Together with strong partners, we develop and provide end-to-end M2M applications to best serve customer demand.”