Digital technologies connected through the Internet of Things (IoT) are the beating heart of the smart cities of today and tomorrow. For water utilities and their partners, the technologies that underpin and connect complex operating systems with thousands of smart meters must be robust and easily deployed to meet evolving challenges in efficient water supply.
That’s where WIZE technology – a Long Range, Low-Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technology designed to connect hard-to-access objects and deliver high-quality, secure information for IoT applications – comes in.
So what is WIZE technology?
A novel approach to a wireless LPWAN IoT network, WIZE delivers low-power, long-range, bi-directional radio communication at around 169 MHz. Based on a well-established standard for utility meter reading, the technology offers an exciting new level in communication, data security and wide area coverage for difficult to reach objects, such as smart meters.
First developed for and utilised in gas and water metering in France, the proven technology has been used for smart metering for more than a decade. Led by the WIZE Alliance – an open, non-profit association founded in 2017 by water and waste experts SUEZ, French natural gas distributor GRDF and smart tech giant Sagemcom – the technology is fast expanding across the globe.
The Wize Alliance unites key industry players from the industrial and utility sectors globally to support the implementation of the Wize technology, and today comprises more than 40 members across eight countries. Networks using the technology now connect more than 12.5 million objects worldwide across existing infrastructure in a range of industrial and Smart City applications.
Unlocking exponential benefits
SUEZ has deployed more than 3.5 million connected water meters in Europe alone, and 6 million installed globally and with around 10,000 meters being added to the global fleet each day. In the Czech Republic the company has been at the forefront of driving regional cities’ environmental and digital transition. The WIZE ecosystem is a powerful tool in SUEZ’s ON’connect ™ metering solution in cities such as Ostrava and Brno, where up to 1,000 new smart meters are added to the fleet each month to provide instant, secure, accurate data to power operational performance and efficiency.
The benefits of tapping into this established ecosystem improving the interoperability of smart products are many. It provides robust communication and wide area coverage, greater security, privacy and integrity in data transfer, and low power use providing for a battery life longer than 15 years. The solution is based on the proven and established Wireless M-Bus standard, and Over the Air Download (OTA) of firmware is an integral part of the protocol.
“WIZE technologies are sustainable, robust, readily deployed anywhere in the world, and are a proven powerful solution to the challenges of balancing growth, resource protection, and quality of life,” says Sean Cohen, Senior Manager – Smart Water for Suez Water Australia.
“We’re committed to ensuring open and free access to the WIZE standards across the globe, enabling every utility and operator to access the flexibility and operability it enables.”
Watch the On Demand recording of the Smart Solutions webinar which was held on September 28.
SUEZ expert speakers Mateu Crespi-Alemany, Director of Operations, Smart Solutions, France and Sean Cohen, Senior Manager, Smart Water, SUEZ Australia present how Smart Metering Solutions can make your utility more custom-centric
WATCH NOW: https://suezanz.com/3Bk0pnp
This partner content is brought to you by SUEZ. For more information, visit suez.com.au.
