Telefônica Brasil signs 10-year IoT water meter contract

Telefônica Brasil, operating under the Vivo brand, signed a 10-year contract with water utility Pomerwasser Ambiental to connect about 12,000 water meters via NB-IoT cellular technology in Pomerode, in the state of Santa Catarina. Conventional meters will be replaced gradually with smart devices capable of transmitting water consumption data remotely, with full deployment scheduled for completion by February 2027.

Pomerwasser has held the 35-year concession for water supply and sewage services in Pomerode since 2023. Beyond cellular connectivity, Vivo will provide a proprietary remote management platform integrated into the utility's operational and billing systems through APIs. The bidirectional communication network allows the utility to send remote commands, track battery levels, detect device failures, and monitor leaks or potential fraud.

Adriano Pereira, Vivo's director of IoT, big data, and B2B innovation, noted that combining connectivity, smart devices, and data analytics provides efficiency, predictability, and scale to activities that previously required manual field work.

The contract expands Vivo's smart metering footprint in sanitation, complementing existing deployments in São Paulo and São José dos Campos. Brazilian utilities face regulatory pressure under the country's sanitation legal framework, established by Law 14,026/2020, which mandates universal service coverage by 2033.