Toowoomba City Hall
Optus Enterprise, IOTA, ETS Electrical Services and GreenBe have come together on a project with Toowoomba Regional Council involving the use of about 68,000 new smart water meters.
The deployment uses Optus’ NB-IoT network, IOTA’s devices and AMI platform, GreenBe’s user experience platform and ETS' deployment services to bring it all together as it transitions towards embracing the internet of things (IoT) and data.
The meters are expected to be rolled out before mid-year, with the four-year project giving council greater operational transparency, increased water usage measuring accuracy, capabilities to identify when and where leaks are happening and pressure measurement functionality within the pipe network.
Residential, industrial and commercial volunteers from the area will be part of the initial pilot stage of the meters in the second quarter of 2022 to test and fine-tuning the system.
According to Optus Enterprise, this is Australia’s first telco-led consortium to be awarded a contract for an advanced metering infrastructure solution.
“This is an exciting water-saving project as the meter replacement program will allow for advanced analytics and help balance the entire water network,” Toowoomba Regional Council water and waste committee chair councilor Rebecca Vonhoff said.
“The meters will provide close to real-time readings. Residents will be able to use a web portal and/or an app to check their usage. They will be able to review their data which will make it easier to see which activities around the property are causing high water consumption.
“This will help to reduce the chance of residents receiving a surprise when they get their bill. If properties have an underground leak, the meters will also help with early detection.”
In November, Optus implemented an IoT-based tracking system for logistics company CouriersPlease, leveraging technology from Thinxtra.
