Melbourne’s largest retail water utility tapped Telstra to provide IoT connectivity as it seeks to collect data in near real-time data from a range of sensors to better manage leaks.

Telstra explained the 15 year deal with Yarra Valley Water will cover 1 million industrial IoT connections, its largest IoT contract and the first large-scale deployment using its new cloud-based platform-as-a-service IoT connection manager.

Yarra Valley Water MD Pat McCafferty said deploying a range of sensors into its water and sanitation networks will enable it to detect leaks, minimise water wastage and save customers money, adding IoT devices are “a game changer for the water industry”.

Mark Chapman, Telstra group owner of Industry Solutions and IoT, added its platform will allow the company to generate more than 17,000 data points annually, up from four previously, delivering “more accurate, near real-time and robust understanding of its water infrastructure”.

Chapman said this is a great example of how its IoT network, comprising both NB-IoT and LTE-M infrastructure, is helping organisations use connected technology to remotely monitor assets and complex infrastructure.