Arqiva, a leading global media services and utilities communications infrastructure provider, has been awarded an extension to its contract with Anglian Water to deliver a further 300,000 connected smart water meters.

Building on the ongoing success of their smart water meter network partnership, which began in 2020, the extension will allow Anglian Water to continue to improve network monitoring, identify and reduce leakages, and engage with customers to modify behaviour and help them reduce consumption.

Doug Spencer, Head of Smart Metering, Anglian Water said:

"The roll out of smart water meters in our area has already helped us find and fix leaks faster than ever before and better understand water use across the year. The data we receive from the network is already incredibly valuable for us in decision making, and as we develop increasingly sophisticated analysis techniques its value will only increase further.

“Our aim is to make sure every home and business in our region has a smart meter by 2030. Our successful and expanding contract with Arqiva is a significant factor in achieving that aim.”

To date, Anglian Water’s smart water metering programme has helped customers find and resolve over 200,000 leaks in their properties.

Secured following a competitive process, the network extension delivered under the agreement will ensure that around 97% of the properties identified in Anglian Water’s original plan for smart water metering (detailed in their AMP7 submission) are covered by a smart water meter network.

Areas benefitting from the extension include Milton Keynes, Bury St Edmunds and Braintree.

In addition, due to the position of the infrastructure, the installed network will be available to some adjacent areas which weren’t due to have access to smart water meters until the next wave of the roll out.

Arqiva delivers the smart water meter network for Anglian in partnership with global water technology company Sensus, a Xylem brand. The network leverages Sensus’ two-way FlexNet® communication network solution and smart metrology across Arqiva’s dedicated private 412MHz licensed spectrum.

Mike Smith, Executive Director, Smart Utilities Networks, Arqiva commented:

"The introduction of smart water metering has been an unqualified success story for Anglian Water and shows incredible potential for the industry as a whole. The recent National Infrastructure Commission report has further set out the undeniable benefits.

"Our own research has highlighted these benefits across the board, from identifying leaks to reducing per capita consumption and even lowering carbon emissions. We have always believed that it is a no regret investment, but to hear how much Anglian and its customers have benefitted thus far is fantastic.

"Complete data is key to all this. Having reliable visibility on how and where supply is being used, and lost, is the fundamental first step."