Water worker on mobile phone
Internet of things

Northumbrian Water case study: improving customer experience with IoT

By installing Internet of Things (IoT) smart meters within their network, we’re helping Northumbrian Water improve their network performance.

October 29, 2019
3 minutes
Internet of things

Northumbrian Water case study: improving customer experience with IoT

By installing Internet of Things (IoT) smart meters within their network, we’re helping Northumbrian Water improve their network performance.

October 29, 2019
3 minutes

The challenge

Northumbrian Water wanted to improve their water network performance and to find new ways to make services better, cut costs, and gather better data.

The solution

They went for an IoT project which saw around 150 sensors installed across their network in Sunderland. The data will be transmitted via BT’s Low-Power, Long-Range, Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN).

The result

Nigel Watson, Group Information Services Director for Northumbrian Water, said the project “represents a real step forwards towards the smart water network of the future and driving improvements for customers”.

The challenge

Northumbrian Water wanted to improve their water network performance and to find new ways to make services better, cut costs, and gather better data.

The solution

They went for an IoT project which saw around 150 sensors installed across their network in Sunderland. The data will be transmitted via BT’s Low-Power, Long-Range, Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN).

The result

Nigel Watson, Group Information Services Director for Northumbrian Water, said the project “represents a real step forwards towards the smart water network of the future and driving improvements for customers”.

The challenge

IoT technology is providing utility companies with an increasing number of transformational opportunities. New ways to improve service, cut costs and gather better data more effectively. Here we examine one such project, helping a large water provider deliver a better customer experience using IoT technology.

The solution

We’ve just secured a contract to deliver an Internet of Things (IoT) project that will help Northumbrian Water improve their water network performance.

Our low-power, long-distance network and its data capabilities will deliver operational insights, so the water provider can better understand how their water network is performing. In turn, this will enable them to enhance water quality and address issues like water leakage.

We’re installing around 150 sensors across the utility’s network in Sunderland to gather data on a range of factors, including water flow, pressure and quality. The data will be transmitted via our Low-Power, Long-Range, Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN). It was designed to support long-life, battery-powered IoT devices over long distances. Once the data is transmitted, it’s processed and visualised by BT.

The result

Nigel Watson, Group Information Services Director for Northumbrian Water, said: “[This project] represents a real step forwards towards the smart water network of the future, transforming the level of insight we have into our network’s operations and driving improvements for customers. We’re keen to understand whether it can be rolled out across our entire North East network to deliver benefits for all of our customers.”

“It’s a great example of how the Internet of Things can be used to deliver a better experience to customers. And with [5G] /solutions/products/5g - LINK REQ] on the horizon, which will provide benefits such as lower latency, higher speeds and greater reliability, we’re thrilled to work with one of the most innovative water companies in the UK to fully realise the transformational benefits of IoT.”

We’re dedicated to bringing innovative IoT solutions to market, using our expertise in devices, connectivity and platforms. The Northumbrian Water smart water project is one of a number of recent IoT deployments across our smart cities, utilities, transport, logistics and retail sectors.

We are really excited to be deploying our IoT platform and LoRaWAN network to provide the connectivity and insight needed to deliver a truly integrated smart water network for Northumbrian Water
Chris SimsBT Managing Director, Strategy, Marketing and Digital