How NB-IoT is helping to combat water loss

Water is a vital and scarce resource, yet in Europe alone, the industry body that 25% of drinking water is lost due to leaking pipes.

To tackle the problem, Swiss leak detection specialists – Gutermann – uses connected battery-powered acoustic loggers to monitor underground pipes so leaks can be identified quickly and repaired. However, conventional 3G/4G networks used too much battery power and failed to penetrate underground infrastructure, so Gutermann turned to Vodafone for a smarter solution.

Gutermann's loggers benefit significantly from switching to Vodafone's NB-IoT network. This transition allows for a 5-10 times reduction in power consumption compared to 3G/4G, alongside improved signal penetration for underground applications.

As a result, the battery-powered loggers are able to stay in the ground for longer, as well as delivering accurate leak alerts – even in hard-to-reach areas. This reduced water loss, lowered the risk of flooding or property damage, and enabled more proactive infrastructure management.

Having pioneered the world’s first NB-IoT based leak detection system in 2019, Gutermann is now driving smart infrastructure upgrades in cities across the UK, Europe and beyond thanks to thousands of NB-IoT SIMs deployed worldwide.

For more information about Gutermann’s partnership with Vodafone, take a look at our case study ‘’.