10 April 2019

BT has joined forced with Northumbrian Water to deliver a smart water project and improve its network performance in north-east England.

This scheme will see around 150 sensors deployed in pipes in the water network across the Sunderland area for six months, as part of a 12-month pilot study.

Smart sensors will capture and process data on a range of factors, such as how the network is functioning, while providing real-time operational insights into water flow, pressure and quality.

Northumbrian Water will be able to use the technology for the benefit of its customers and the environment, identifying issues such as burst pipes or leaks more quickly and easily than before.

The company will also have a better understanding about how the network can impact on water quality changes and allow it to manage this proactively. “BT will be connecting around 150 sensors from across Northumbrian Water’s water network to its LoRaWAN network, providing Northumbrian Water with deeper insights into aspects such as water quality and pressure,” said Andy Bridden, client delivery director for IoT, BT. “The operational insights that the data will provide will allow Northumbrian Water’s engineers to better understand how the water network is performing, so the engineers can be deployed across the network more effectively and efficiently.”