SAO PAULO, BRAZIL -- Sabesp, one of the largest water and sewage service providers in the world, today announces that it has successfully completed the implementation of 100,000 smart water meters with Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The project, which is one of the largest in Latin America, introduces water consumption telemeasurement in Sabesp's 100,000 largest consumers in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo.
The Metrolink consortium is delivering the project and comprises of companies Laager and Vita Ambiental, which won the contract after a competitive bidding process Sabesp started at the end of 2018.
WND's Sigfox 0G network was the communication technology selected by Sabesp for more than 92,000 of the total connected water meters. WND is the exclusive operator of Sigfox technology in Brazil. Sigfox technology enables the transport of data wirelessly, at low cost, over long distances, with minimum energy consumption. The devices will be in operation for at least five years without changing or recharging the battery.
Telemetering – the remote reading of meters – automates the process of measuring water consumption. The task was performed manually once a month and can now be performed multiple times a day. In addition to measurement, the system also generates alarms and important statistics about the operation of the entire water network. All of these new features bring reliability, transparency and savings to consumers and unprecedented operational efficiency for Sabesp.
"The project marked the large-scale adoption of the IoT concept by Sabesp,” Ricardo Batista, Sabesp's Division Manager and responsible for the project said. “The new technology enables our customers to monitor water consumption daily, as well as leak detection, saving money and preserving the environment, in addition to better management of resources by our company. We hope to be able to expand the project in the coming years."
According to Felipe Duque Estrada, CEO of Laager, the success of the project is largely due to the partnership with Sigfox and WND Brazil
"The adoption of 0G network technologies from Sigfox ensured the economic and technological viability of the project," Duque said.
