COVER Taggle Systems
Taggle driving innovation and choice in metering As temperatures soar and the land becomes parched, Taggle Systems innovates and adapts, looking for ways to best save, water utilising digital water metering. TAGGLE HAS BUILT an ecosystem of technologies, partners and solutions to deliver water-saving outcomes to councils and water utilities by offering an end-to-end solution that already includes over 300,000 digital water meters. Collecting and delivering data requires hardware, networks, software, integration and support services, to which Taggle continues to expand its capabilities, adopt new technologies, invest in research and development, and build partnerships. Adopting Telstra NB-IoT “As part of our expanding capabilities, we have partnered with Telstra to provide NB-IoT connectivity,” David Peters, CEO of Taggle, said. Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) is a communications standard with wireless IoT protocol that uses low-power, wide-area network (WAN) technology. NB-IoT allows IoT
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devices to operate and communicate via telecommunications networks. “Telstra has the widest NB-IoT network coverage in Australia, which our customers can now tap into,” said Peters. “Our adoption of NB-IoT has unlocked additional options for our customers. They can now deploy digital meters very quickly and at scale without needing to build a network if one already exists, which is a great solution for urban rollouts.” “We can very quickly get meters installed and projects up and running without having to install a network, which can take time, particularly in urban environments.” Taggle can also support regional and rural areas and black spots in urban areas that might not have NB-IoT coverage with the Taggle Byron network and Myriota satellite network. The adoption of multiple radio technologies has given Taggle ubiquitous coverage across Australia.
INSIDE WATER January/February 2024
David Peters is committed to providing a large range of digital water meters and sensors. Image: Taggle Systems
The flexibility to choose between various radio technologies to suit different environments and applications provides Taggle customers with unrivalled choice and service options. Expanding range of meters “An ancillary benefit of NB-IoT is the growing range of IoT meters entering the market, which we are looking to include in Taggle’s offering,” he said. “Australia has traditionally installed mechanical meters that use mechanical movement to measure water flow through the meter. However, most NB-IoT meters are static, using ultrasonic waves or electromagnetism to measure water flow.” By understanding the preferences of different clients, Taggle will expand its offering of mechanical and static meters. Peters pointed out that static meters can be fantastic for tracking non-potable water or places with significant turbidity. “We currently have static meters installed for several councils, including Murray River Council raw water schemes,” he said. “In raw