Spanish telecom giant Telefónica and Idrica, which specializes in technologies for water management, have signed a global partnership agreement to provide services to companies in the water sector, Telefonica said in a release.
Telefonica said that this new agreement includes the development of solutions using NB-IoT, LTE-M and future 5G massive IoT, that will allow the connection of billions of machines and devices to the Internet.
The agreement signed also includes the commercialization of GoAigua, an Idrica solution that fosters the complete digital transformation of the operation and maintenance processes of companies in the water sector.
The solution allows companies to monitor real-time information on all their infrastructure and processes in one single place, facilitate decision-making, automate recurring tasks, and help strengthen communication channels and value-added services for customers, the two companies said.
Telefonica highlighted that it is a “modular, scalable solution that can be adapted to the degree of technological maturity of each company, allowing them to have a transversal vision of the integral water cycle,” which includes collection, distribution, sanitation, reuse and end customer satisfaction. The application of advanced algorithms allows the solution to boosts efficiency in the areas of drinking water, sanitation, purification, and smart irrigation, the carrier added.
“We believe that this alliance will help us accelerate the internationalization process of the company and highlights the interoperability of GoAigua with other platforms and technologies,” said Jaime Barba, CEO of Idrica.
“With this agreement we are reinforcing our commitment to offer more accessible solutions to people, improving communication channels, providing detailed information on their consumption and making responsible use of water resources,” said Gonzalo Martín-Villa, global director of IoT and big data at Telefónica Tech.
IoT-big data is one of the recently integrated digital services offered by Telefónica, together with the cloud and cyber security services, in Telefónica Tech, a new unit that brings together these three businesses.
Telefónica was managing 23.8 million IoT connections worldwide as of the end of last year.