Embedded Connectivity for Sustainable Water Use

With over ten hours of sunshine per day and a mere 5.6 mm of rain per square meter, July is traditionally a particularly hot and dry month in Spain, and without a doubt the Iberian peninsula is generally one of the regions in Europe that are most severely affected by high temperatures. Not for nothing does its interior include some of the continent’s largest deserts. Germany, by comparison, has only three hours of sunlight less and more than 75 mm of rainfall in July. Small wonder that water is regarded as very valuable in many parts of Spain. Using this vital commodity economically and sustainably is a top priority for inhabitants and enterprises alike, both in residential and business premises and in agriculture. Jointly with Hidroconta, a specialist in hydraulic irrigation, Deutsche Telekom delivers the solution to this challenge: smart water meters and irrigation systems with embedded connectivity that make water use possible that is more transparent, more sustainable and more comfortable.

Hidroconta, headquartered in Murcia in the southeast of Spain, is specialized in manufacturing water meters and irrigation systems. Its customers include facility management companies and agricultural enterprises in southern and northern Europe and, in future, the Americas. To measure water consumption in buildings Hidroconta employees used to have to read the meters on-site, while agricultural companies lacked the transparency needed to optimize the water supply to their plantations and to organize it more sustainably. That is why Hidroconta developed smart meters connected to the Internet of Things (IoT) to solve these problems. For connectivity the company relies on Deutsche Telekom expertise.

The new smart meters and irrigation systems send water consumption data via NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT) to the connected cloud platform – automatically, encrypted and at regular intervals. Hidroconta customers can view data via the platform at any time from anywhere. Agricultural enterprises can also specify individual irrigation times remotely and thereby regulate water supply efficiently. This functionality is based on Deutsche Telekom's embedded SIMs. The manufacturer solders the tiny MFF2 SIM cards to its hardware’s circuit boards during its water meters’ and irrigation systems’ production process. The principle is known as embedded connectivity. Deutsche Telekom, a global front runner in this sector, recommended the solution to Hidroconta because it offers the company and its customers many advantages.

Deutsche Telekom's connectivity offering also includes a SIM management platform that allows Hidroconta to monitor the SIMs globally via the Internet, activate or deactivate individual cards and set up regional tariffs for different territories. This was another reason why the manufacturer made a conscious decision in favour of Deutsche Telekom: This is because its strong global presence enables Hidroconta to expand in a targeted manner and extend its offering internationally. In the USA, for example, the T-Mobile US network is available. And in countries where Hidroconta wants or needs to use the networks of other providers, Telekom also enables optimum connectivity thanks to comprehensive roaming agreements. This means that Hidroconta has a strong partner at its side in all countries that are important to the company or will be in the future.

With their solutions, Hidroconta and Telekom are demonstrating how the Internet of Things and embedded connectivity can help to utilise valuable resources more efficiently and sustainably. Modern technologies and intelligent products therefore not only help to increase user convenience and optimise processes. They can also help to protect the environment.