Badger Meter will explore ways to offer water metering solutions via AT&T’s network
U.S. firm Badger Meter announced it has joined the AT&T Smart City Alliance to explore several alternatives to provide large and small cities with access to smart city water metering solutions.
AT&T said it is currently working with Badger Meter to explore how AT&T’s network and Badger Meter’s cellular AMI solutions can work together to benefit water utilities in the U.S.
Badger Meter also highlighted that cellular networks allow long-term interoperability between multiple solutions, such as energy efficient lighting, smart waste management and improved leak detection in water systems.
In January 2016, AT&T introduced its smart cities framework aimed at helping cities better meet the needs of their citizens using the internet of things (IoT). The framework is supported by an alliance of technology leaders and industry organizations, which collaborate, develop and deploy solutions that could help cities address critical issues like high energy costs, transportation, aging infrastructure and public safety.
“Joining the AT&T Smart City Alliance is key to Badger Meter’s plans to provide smart city water metering solutions for any utility – large or small,” said Kenneth Bockhorst, president of Badger Meter. “Our smart water solutions are a revenue generator for municipalities, making them a strategic component of any smart city initiative.”
“Badger Meter is an exciting addition to our Smart Cities Alliance and will allow us to collaborate and trial Badger Meter’s solutions to ultimately provide to cities at scale,” said Michael Zeto, vice president of AT&T IoT and general manager of smart cities. “Smart water technology is a vital part of creating a comprehensive and truly end-to-end smart cities ecosystem that enables communities to be more efficient, sustainable and safer for the people that live there.”
Badger Meter is a specialist in flow measurement, control and communications solutions, serving water utilities, municipalities, and commercial and industrial customers worldwide. The company’s products measure water, oil, chemicals, and other fluids.
In February, Synchronoss Technologies, a provider of cloud, messaging, digital, and IoT products, joined the AT&T Smart City Alliance. Synchronoss said the firm will collaborate to integrate disparate databases, providing notifications and alerts to synchronize information across vertical segments. Synchronoss highlighted its solutions helps cities enhance the operations of managing their digital nodes and data.
Other key member of the AT&T Smart City Alliance are Cisco, Deloitte, Ericsson, GE, IBM, Intel, and Qualcomm Technologies.
The alliance committed to test this smart city framework in several spotlight cities and universities, which include Atlanta, Chapel Hill (NC), Chicago, Dallas, Georgia Institute of Technology, Miami-Dade County and Montgomery County (MD).
