Netmore Furthers LoRaWAN Position with Yorkshire Water IoT Contract

The advancement of IoT and the deployment of smart water meters is important for cities and regions worldwide to find leaks and conserve water while minimizing the impacts on the environment. This is especially true for the U.K. as the region is undergoing green recovery because of the pandemic.

Netmore, for example, initiated investment in a nationwide IoT network based on LoRaWAN in the U.K. Since inception, the organization worked on various IoT projects in the smart water space. Its LoRaWAN solutions are based on the ability to create conditions for social benefit as more regions switch to smart meters.

Netmore further cemented its strong position in LoRaWAN and closed in on its goal to establish a European LoRaWAN network. Yorkshire Water chose Netmore to deploy smart water meters and LoRaWAN connectivity to Yorkshire Water in the U.K. for new housing developments.

"The deal is our first international milestone in LoRaWAN,” said Ove Anebygd, CEO, Netmore Group. “We are proud that Yorkshire Water, which is one of U.K.'s leading water utilities, chose Netmore's solutions and that we thus become an even more important player when cities are switching to smart solutions."

Two separate agreements came from the winning proposal, which has an order value of up to £47 million. The first is Netmore will be the sole supplier for the provision of advanced metering infrastructure hardware, LoRaWAN network and Data-as-a-Service to Yorkshire Water to new property developments.

The second is for the rollout of AMI capability across the Yorkshire region by installing new meters to currently unmetered properties or upgrading the existing metered properties to AMI, which uses radio-based technology to read water meters. This eliminates the need for manual readings.

Both agreements include delivery, installation, commissioning and maintenance of connected smart meters to around 360,000 households in Yorkshire, as well as roll out of an associated LoRaWAN network that connects the meters and, thus, generates subscription revenue over time.

“The Netmore solution will provide both the long-term perspective and cost-effectiveness that are crucial for us to be able to successfully implement smart metering of water in Yorkshire," said Adam Smith, manager of smart networks and metering transformation, Yorkshire Water.

The deal will run for a three-year period – there is an option to extend for another two years. Rollout and commissioning of meters and network infrastructure will begin immediately.