Sabesp, the water and sanitation company of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, has announced the deployment, with operator Vivo, of what is described as the world's largest Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity project for smart water management.
The initiative is being implemented in partnership not only with Vivo, one of the largest mobile operators in the continent, but also with Idemia Secure Transactions (IST), a global leader in payment and connectivity solutions.
Through this 14-year strategic partnership, 4.4 million smart water meters will be securely connected in São Paulo City and São José dos Campos. According to Sabesp's technical architecture and requirements, Vivo's connectivity expertise combined with Idemia Secure Transactions' secure and scalable eSIM IoT technology will help protect natural resources and enhance an essential public service by enabling Sabesp to optimise its water distribution network and detect leaks.
By uniting Vivo's connectivity expertise with Idemia Secure Transactions' secure and scalable eSIM IoT technology, the project ensures robust, energy-efficient, and resilient connectivity, even in remote areas. The connectivity relies on IST's eSIMs and eSIM IoT platform, fully compliant with the latest GSMA SGP.32 standard, embarking advanced cryptographic agility to ensure what the partners call post-quantum future-proof readiness.
Denis MAIA, Executive Director of Customers and Technology at Sabesp, explains: "Smart metering allows Sabesp and its customers greater visibility into hourly water consumption and the rapid identification of anomalies and leaks. And with more frequent and accurate water balances, there will be greater efficiency in the management of distribution networks, essential factors in a scenario where Brazil still registers very high rates of water loss.”
By enabling precise consumption monitoring and early detection of leaks, the connected infrastructure helps to promote conscious consumption of water. The digitalisation of water metering services also improves transparency for consumers to take part in more responsible resource management.
