In the world of smart water metering, NB-IoT connectivity is often discussed as the ideal solution for remote meter reading. Its deep coverage, low energy consumption, and integration with existing cellular networks make it particularly attractive for utilities developing large-scale AMI infrastructures.
But there is a question that deserves attention: What happens when the cellular network is temporarily unavailable?
Even the most reliable networks can occasionally experience:
- scheduled maintenance
- failures of cellular network base stations
- infrastructure works
- local blackouts or exceptional events
In these situations, even NB-IoT–based remote reading systems may temporarily lose connectivity.
This is where an increasingly important concept comes into play: communication redundancy directly at the meter level.
NB-IoT and Wireless M-Bus: Two Complementary Technologies
Let’s imagine a smart meter designed with a dual communication architecture:
NB-IoT as the primary channel for remote meter reading
Wireless M-Bus (wM-Bus) as the secondary channel for proximity data collection
Under normal conditions, the meter communicates with the central system via NB-IoT, enabling automatic readings and remote event management.
However, if the cellular network becomes temporarily unavailable, the meter can still be read via wM-Bus, using drive-by or walk-by modes.
This approach allows utilities to maintain access to data even during temporary cellular network outages, avoiding operational disruptions.
The Benefits for Utilities
Integrating NB-IoT and wM-Bus in the same device offers several concrete advantages:
✔ Continuity of remote meter reading even during cellular network maintenance or outages
✔ Reduced field visits for manual meter readings
✔ Greater resilience of the smart metering infrastructure
✔ Improved customer experience, avoiding the need to access private property for visual inspections
In practice, this introduces a true concept of communication redundancy directly within the device.
For utilities investing in AMI systems with long life cycles, designing devices with hybrid communication architectures—combining cellular IoT and local radio—can make a significant difference in terms of long-term reliability.
NB-IoT provides scalability and nationwide coverage, while wM-Bus ensures a local communication channel always available for proximity data collection operations.
In other words: it’s not about choosing one technology over the other, but about making them work together.
The Maddalena Solution: ElecTo SONIC, Dual Connectivity for Maximum Reliability
This dual connectivity approach is the foundation of ElecTo SONIC, the new smart meter developed by Maddalena. Once again, the company demonstrates its pioneering role in a multiprotocol approach—a design philosophy aimed at integrating complementary communication technologies to ensure operational continuity and maximum reliability.
ElecTo SONIC integrates within the same device:
NB-IoT as the primary communication channel
Wireless M-Bus as the local radio fallback channel
This is an approach that Maddalena adopted early in the sector, having previously developed multiprotocol solutions based on LoRaWAN and Wireless M-Bus. A vision that was internationally recognized in 2017 with the Global Technology Leadership Award assigned by Frost & Sullivan.
In this way, even in the event of a temporary unavailability of the cellular network, the meter remains accessible for data collection, ensuring operational continuity and greater resilience of the metering infrastructure for utilities.
Smart Metering Is Not Only About Connectivity, It’s About Resilience
In critical infrastructures, such as water distribution systems, data reliability is essential.
True innovation does not lie only in adopting new communication technologies, but in designing architectures that combine multiple complementary channels to guarantee operational continuity.
This is precisely the logic driving the evolution of smart metering systems: not relying on a single technology, but integrating different solutions to make infrastructure more robust and reliable over time.
Because when it comes to essential services like water, data availability must be guaranteed under all operating conditions.
