A local water utility water utility tested connectivity management of a telemetry solution for residential water meters.
Spanish telecommunications operator Telefónica, Chinese vendor Huawei and global supplier of intelligent energy and water metering solutions Kamstrup have successfully deployed their first project with real user’s data using NarrowBand IoT technology (NB-IoT).
The launch took place in Chile, where one of the country’s leading water utilities tested connectivity management of a telemetry solution for residential water meters.
Telefonica said telemetry will allow clients to know their day-to-day use, will facilitate actual invoicing by avoiding estimated use, and will also detect leaks.
The Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) technology NB-IoT is currently one of the most widely discussed innovations in M2M communication for the Internet of Things (IoT). The technology runs on existing operator networks in licensed spectrum to support a massive number of IoT devices. It is especially optimized for applications with low bandwidth requirements, such as smart parking, smart metering or smart waste management.
Kamstrup provided the smart meters for the project, while Huawei was responsible for the update of the NB-IoT network. Additionally, Telefónica Chile’s R&D Centre, together with Huawei, was responsible for designing and planning the technical tests. This center, a joint initiative between Telefónica and the Chilean government, specializes in developing technologies around IoT, particularly those associated with connectivity and low power networks.
“We are proud to have united with Huawei and Kamstrup to launch this commercial pilot with NB- IoT in Latin America. This affirms our commitment to using our network infrastructure to provide our clients with IoT solutions, as we adapt to each of our clients’ needs,” Telefonica’s chief IoT officer, Vicente Muñoz, said.
Telefónica and the other companies that have participated in this first experimental client pilot confirmed plans to expand the trial to more than 300 residential water meters.
The Spanish telco is an active member in the 3GPP group thus promoting LPWA technologies such as NarrowBand IoT and its standardization in the sector.
