IoT Cellular Solutions Help Wattwatchers Digital Energy to Scale Globally through Partnership with Thinxtra
Wattwatchers Digital Energy
Wattwatchers Digital Energy is an award-winning Australian technology company focused on devices, data and communications to make behind-the-meter energy management intelligent, connected, cost-effective and easy to install and operate.
The Opportunity
To significantly improve the customer experience of traditional cellular IoT connectivity, which was challenged by complex operational needs and uncertain performance.
The Partnership Solution
Thinxtra’s cellular IoT network solution, powered by Soracom, gives Wattwatchers fingertip control of their device fleet, seamless expansion to new markets and offers customers:
- Faster, easier installation and ongoing management,
- Flexible, pay-as-you-go communications pricing models,
- Seamless deployment to international markets.
About Wattwatchers
Wattwatchers Digital Energy is a fast-growing Australian-based technology company. The company is a true innovator, breaking ground with solutions that allow customers to monitor and control electricity use in real-time using Internet of Things (IoT) devices to capture and share data through the cloud.
IoT energy management devices connected to cellular networks enable Wattwatchers’ real-time, data-driven services. Compared with wireless networks, cellular offers faster, more robust connections for IoT devices to send data to the cloud and receive instructions back, independent of the communications network of the home or business.
The Thinxtra IoT cellular solution is highly strategic for the Wattwatchers business to enable how we scale from tens of thousands of device deployments, to hundreds of thousands, while supporting enterprise-grade solutions with the capacity to write strong service level agreements with our global B2B customers
Gavin Dietz
Chief Executive Officer, Chief Executive Officer, Wattwatchers Digital Energy
In the past, Wattwatchers connected their solutions to cellular networks by embedding a subscriber identity module (SIM) card in an IoT device during manufacturing. While effective, this traditional approach created some customer challenges. International customers had to acquire their own SIM, arrange a local carrier, send the SIM to Wattwatchers to include in manufacturing, then conduct testing. The process was slow, complex and error prone. Sometimes customers faced extra challenges because the SIM was tied to a specific carrier, with coverage that was too variable to support the customer’s needs.
As a customer-focused organisation, Wattwatchers wanted to offer customers greater flexibility for SIM provisioning and cellular data plan pricing options, and easier operational management. Wattwatchers chose Thinxtra’s cellular IoT network solution, powered by Soracom, to deliver these capabilities.
When we reviewed our SIM and cellular data plan supply needs, our core requirements were flexibility and enhanced functionality. Thinxtra’s cellular IoT solution, powered by Soracom, offered the most strategic long-term benefit to our business. We partnered with Thinxtra because we wanted a like-minded supplier that understands the needs of a scale up business and is flexible enough to create fit-for-purpose solutions.
Gavin Dietz
Chief Executive Officer, Wattwatchers Digital Energy
Soracom’s offering is a world-leading connectivity platform built specifically for IoT with single integration and configuration capabilities that power cellular network access across more than 130 countries.
Thinxtra’s cellular IoT network solution means Wattwatchers can put its own SIM into IoT devices during manufacturing so customers can simply install devices and turn them on to have their energy monitoring solution working, right out-of-the-box, anywhere in the world.
Today, Wattwatchers customers experience faster, easier installation and ongoing management. Installations are being made less labour intensive or prone to errors.
The built-in flexibility of Thinxtra’s cellular IoT network solution allows Wattwatchers to design communications pricing, on a pay-as-you-go model, to meet customer needs no matter what their requirements.
Thinxtra’s solution brings cellular communications into the IoT era, with a great connectivity management platform that gives Wattwatchers fingertip control of our device fleet. Since deployment, the solution has performed seamlessly. We enjoy extra application protocol interface options; and great in-the-field functionality and global multi-carrier capabilities.
Gavin Dietz
Chief Executive Officer, Wattwatchers Digital Energy
About Wattwatchers
The Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre (AARSC) is based at the University of New England, one of Australia’s oldest and leading agricultural research organisations. UNE has a well-demonstrated and respected reputation for delivering strong applied remote sensing research outcomes to industry. With both strong agronomic and remote sensing research backgrounds, the team is effective in generating effective technical outcomes, and can interpret results agronomically, ensuring relevance and farm adoption. Currently, the team leads or collaborates in remote sensing projects across a dozen agricultural and horticultural industries. The team also has a proven record in developing multi-industry and multidisciplinary strategies in response to specific industry needs.
Visit the AARSC website for more information.
