It will also allow for increased energy efficiency of devices, guaranteed service under very unfavorable conditions, and reduced latency to milliseconds in the management of critical infrastructure. This is possible thanks to technologies associated with 5G-NR such as Network Slicing and Edge Computing, among many other advantages.
 
This technological development is part of a pilot project underway in Valencia, which aims to verify the benefits of 5G-NR technology for real-time remote monitoring of drinking water consumption. Specifically, it analyzes the advantages of 5G-NR over NB (Narrowband).
 
To achieve this, the pilot project applies 5G-NR to the use of smart meters, simulating a scenario with millions of connected devices (Massive IoT). Thirty water meters have been selected on the campus of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, located in areas with limited coverage and access, such as basements, galleries, and parking garages.
 
In addition to the technological comparison, the number of water meters and their smart status will be monitored within the university campus, along with whether the infrastructure communicates and transmits readings, the degree of sensor deployment, and the depth and quality of the data signal. Water consumption and the energy management of the devices will be analyzed, and any alarms for leaks or lack of data communication will be checked.
 
The pilot project, also a global first, is part of the National 5G Plan, implemented by the public business entity Red.es, promoted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Idrica is developing this project in partnership with Orange (which leads the joint venture for this pilot). Other participating companies include equipment and service providers such as Arborea Intellbird, CFZ Cobots, Etra Research and Development, Visyon (Mediapro Group), Elewit, and Robotnik.