Vodacom working to tackle South Africa’s next crisis

In partnership with Macrocomm, Ontec, and Mezzanine, Vodacom South Africa has deployed more than 20,000 narrowband Internet of Things (IoT) smart electricity meters under the National Treasury’s RT29 framework.

A spokesperson told MyBroadband that the meters’ shared connectivity layer, middleware, and analytics stack will help accelerate future water meter deployments while minimising integration risks.

“The smart metering system offers numerous benefits across various areas,” the spokesperson said.

One benefit is enhanced operational efficiency through near real-time flow and pressure data, automated leak alerts, and zone-by-zone loss analytics.

The spokesperson said these features help reduce non-revenue water and manual reading costs.

“In terms of revenue management, the system integrates seamlessly with municipal billing engines and supports time-of-use tariffs, improving revenue recovery and ensuring cash flow certainty,” they said.

“For customer empowerment, households can monitor their daily water usage through a web portal and receive alerts via WhatsApp or SMS, preventing bill shocks and encouraging conservation.”

The smart metering system also has significant environmental benefits. Demand-side management helps curb over-abstraction and reduces pumping energy.

This helps support South Africa’s water security and climate action goals.

“Additionally, the system uses an accredited installer training model, proven in Vodacom’s electricity meter rollouts, to create local jobs and build skills, contributing to socio-economic upliftment,” the spokesperson said.

They added that Vodacom’s electricity metering track record demonstrates the scalability of its IoT ecosystem and provides a ready-to-go water-metering playbook.

“Overall, the smart metering system is a comprehensive solution that drives efficiency, revenue, customer engagement, environmental sustainability, and community development.”

Following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address in February 2025, Vodacom Business revealed that it was working with municipalities to manage water consumption and delivery through smart metering.

“Infrastructure challenges pose significant threats to economic growth and social stability in South Africa,” stated Vodacom Business director, Videsha Proothveerajh.

“In particular, a secure, reliable water supply is an urgent priority as communities continue to regularly face disruptive water shortages due to failing infrastructure and poor management.”

This comes after it was appointed a smart metering service provider in May 2024 after the National Treasury awarded it and six other bidders the RT29 transversal contract.

Vodacom Business launches Digital Water Tower platform

In late March 2025, Vodacom Business announced its partnership with Mezzanine to launch the Digital Water Tower platform.

The system uses demand management reports, geospatial data, and network topology maps to optimise supply efficiency and reduce water losses.

The Vodacom spokesperson told MyBroadband that an initial group of municipalities has adopted the platform to prioritise water infrastructure investments.

“Large-scale field deployment of dedicated smart meters will commence once municipal procurement processes are complete and Phase One analytics have identified the optimal pilot zones,” they said.

“Once the current analytics phase is concluded, the Digital Water Tower project is positioned to deliver tangible, data-driven improvements to South Africa’s water networks.”

The Digital Water Tower platform forms part of Vodacom and Strategic Water Partners Network’s initiative to tackle water security challenges in Gauteng.

“Our commitment to digital transformation extends beyond connectivity — we believe in using our technology capabilities to drive sustainable impact,” said Proothveerajh.

“By working with key stakeholders, including the public sector and industry partners, we are addressing current water challenges while laying the foundation for a more resilient future.”

The project is being rolled out in two phases, with the first being the abovementioned analytics phase to determine how water is used in various parts of the province.

In the project’s second phase, the platform will determine when interventions are needed by performing impact assessments, which Vodacom said will also assist in monitoring the efficiency of consumer and supplier services.