Following Telstra’s recent announcement of its narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) going live across all major cities in Australia, NB-IoT enabled smart water meters have now become a reality for water utilities.
“Telstra is Australia’s largest and fastest mobile network, so with their NB-IoT Network now switched on, we can deploy our state-of-the-art ultrasonic, intelligent water meters to provide remote online meter readings,” Guenter Hauber-Davison, Managing Director of WaterGroup, said. “This will save millions of dollars in manual water reading costs. More importantly, though, it will save many millions of litres of precious drinking water by identifying leakage as and when it happens.”
And with growing populations, that is what utilities need, being obligated to anticipate rising demands.
“Utilities can now deploy smart water meters hassle-free into residential dwellings, apartments, and difficult-to-access basements, due to the deep long-range network coverage of NB-IoT. It will provide utilities, for the first time ever, with a cost-effective way to truly understand in near real time where the water is going – and where it is lost – in their water distribution network,” Hauber-Davison continued. “Utilities will also for the first time be able to bring the Australian consumer what they want – a future of smart water use monitoring where live consumption data is displayed on their smart phones with corresponding alarms. It will make bill shock and unnoticed leaks a thing of the past.”
Sydney and Melbourne are home to 40 per cent of all Australians, and they are also expected to accommodate another three million residents each by the mid-2050s.
“Smart water management and protecting one of our most important natural resources is essential,” Hauber-Davison added. “The new NB-IoT enabled ultrasonic, intelligent water meters are expected to collectively save Australian water users 160 million litres of water a year, enough to supply a city of 900,000 residents with water.”
WaterGroup launched the first commercially available NB-IoT ready, fully integrated, ultrasonic smart water meter in November 2017. Affordable, easy to connect with a long-range coverage paired with low power and long battery life, it is also NMI certified and meets the relevant Australian standards.
During FY 2016/2017 alone, WaterGroup delivered immensely positive outcomes for its clients, including water savings of almost 300 million litres, and with cost savings of over AUD$1 million (US$800,000).
“Utilities have been lining up to try our NB-IoT smart meters since the launch,” Hauber-Davison concluded. “We are thrilled that Telstra has gone live now, and we can start further trials.”
