- The company and the Castelló City Council are relying on Vodafone to extend a wide network of 2,800 water meters throughout the city, which allows for real-time data management and helps to resolve leaks or misuse more quickly.
- This is a cutting-edge technology that connects meters located in underground areas and inside buildings with poor coverage, where regular communication networks do not reach.
FACSA and the Castelló City Council have partnered with Vodafone to monitor, control, and manage water consumption in the city using the operator's Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) communications network. This project enables the connection of water meters located underground and inside buildings with limited coverage, where traditional communications networks are unavailable. The initiative also benefits from the collaboration of IoTsens, a technology solutions company within the Gimeno Group, which is providing its Smart Water platform, and Contazara, the communications equipment supplier.
This project will make Castelló one of the first cities in Europe to use this innovative communications network to monitor one of its main water supplies. It will connect 2,800 water meters to Vodafone's NB-IoT network, providing real-time data on usage and consumption for residents, businesses, and industries. Integrating these meters with IoTsens' Smart Water system ensures immediate data transmission, giving FACSA detailed information on potential misuse or incidents in the water network. This allows for earlier detection and faster resolution, preventing service interruptions for residents.
NB-IoT technology, based on the so-called Internet of Things, makes it possible to connect all kinds of objects - such as water meters - effectively even in locations without coverage until now.
The success of this collaboration between four companies highlights the suitability of these new communication networks for a basic public service like water. Investing in innovation for projects like this also leads to significant cost savings for companies, which don't need to deploy their own communication network to implement remote management of the supply. Furthermore, it helps promote a more efficient way of managing a scarce resource like water.
According to Pascual Maximino, director of the supply area at FACSA, “this technological initiative drives the digital transformation of the city and represents a step forward in the efficiency of the municipal drinking water service and the sustainability of this essential resource.”.
For his part, Antonio Álvarez, Vodafone's territorial director for the Valencian Community, Murcia and the Balearic Islands, added that "relying on a new communications network like NB-IoT is a commitment to the future and demonstrates that the evolution of communications networks provides significant benefits to businesses and citizens.".
Connecting business objects and services with NB-IoT
Thanks to its NB-IoT network, Vodafone can extend the benefits of IoT technology to other services based on connected devices. The deployment of this technology also offers new possibilities for both the municipality's industrial and business sectors and its citizens. Some examples of applications and use cases for NB-IoT include managing fire and burglar alarms in homes and businesses, greater precision in agricultural techniques, atmospheric sensors, and monitoring of terrain, pollution, rainfall, and more.
