SABESP, the water utility for the Brazilian State of São Paulo, has begun deployment of a massive IoT project to modernise water management. The initiative involves the installation of 4.4 million smart water meters in São Paulo City and São José dos Campos.

The 14-year project is a partnership with mobile operator Vivo and technology firm IDEMIA Secure Transactions. The system uses eSIM IoT technology to provide secure, energy-efficient connectivity, allowing the utility to monitor water consumption in real time and identify leaks across its distribution network.

The connectivity infrastructure is compliant with the latest GSMA SGP.32 standards, which are designed to simplify large-scale IoT deployments. The system uses advanced cryptography to ensure the network remains secure against future digital threats while providing reliable data transmission from remote areas.

The project is intended to reduce water loss, which remains a significant challenge for Brazilian utilities. By providing hourly data on water usage, the system enables SABESP to perform more accurate water balances and encourages consumers to manage their resource consumption more effectively.

“Smart metering allows SABESP and its customers greater visibility into hourly water consumption and the rapid identification of anomalies and leaks,” said Denis Maia, Executive Director of Customers and Technology at Sabesp. He noted that the transformation is essential for managing distribution networks efficiently.