Lesira-Teq, a smart metering manufacturer with more than 20 years of industry experience, has partnered with Onomondo, a global IoT connectivity provider, to launch a globally deployable LTE Cat 1 bis smart metering solution powered by an integrated Global IoT eSIM.

The partnership enables municipalities, utility providers, private grid operators and hardware distributors to deploy a single smart meter model across more than 180 countries without requiring country-specific configurations or network adjustments.

Traditionally, smart meter deployments have been constrained by varying network requirements across different regions, often requiring multiple device configurations and increasing operational complexity. Through the combination of Lesira-Teq’s smart metering technology and Onomondo’s global IoT connectivity infrastructure, customers can now deploy and manage connected utility infrastructure more efficiently across multiple markets while maintaining reliable connectivity and remote management capabilities.

This "deploy anywhere" technology allows utilities to roll out smart meters immediately using standard 4G, completely bypassing the need to wait for specialised IoT networks. For telecom companies, the financial benefit is immediate. They can connect millions of meters without spending capital on tower upgrades or building dedicated LPWAN cores. It allows them to secure long-term utility contracts and monetise the 4G infrastructure they already have in place.

A Single Meter for Global Deployment

At the core of the solution is a single global stock-keeping unit (SKU), allowing the same meter to be manufactured, distributed and deployed worldwide without regional reconfiguration.

Powered by an integrated Global IoT eSIM, the meters can automatically connect to the strongest available mobile network in each deployment location across more than 180 countries and over 600 mobile network operators globally.

This simplifies procurement, inventory management and deployment planning for utilities and infrastructure providers operating across multiple regions.

By standardizing on a single hardware model instead of custom regional versions, we can manufacture in massive volumes. This bulk production cuts per-unit manufacturing costs by 20% to 30% and allows our distributors to hold up to 40% less inventory. Because these smart meters run on standard 4G, clients save heavily on infrastructure. They no longer have to pay for or maintain expensive localized LPWAN gateways and base stations. The hardware connects right out of the box, meaning clients are never trapped by a single local network provider. They can bypass local setup delays, dodge sudden carrier price hikes, and shrink deployment times from months to weeks.

Enhanced Remote Monitoring and Control

The solution provides operators with access to real-time utility data, including consumption monitoring, credit usage, leak detection alerts and tamper notifications.

Operators can also remotely perform actions such as credit loading and valve control without requiring technician call-outs, enabling faster response times and improved operational efficiency.

Supporting Long-Term Infrastructure Management

The platform supports secure Over-The-Air (OTA) firmware updates, enabling meters to receive software enhancements, security updates and performance improvements throughout their operational lifecycle.

This allows operators to maintain and optimise deployed infrastructure remotely while reducing the need for physical maintenance interventions.

The platform's Over-The-Air (OTA) updates completely eliminate the need to send technicians into the field for software patches. Physical site visits usually cost utilities between $150 and $300 each. By managing updates remotely, operators cut their software maintenance budgets by up to 70%. If a municipality needs to update 35,000 water meters, we can push a critical patch out to the entire grid in a few hours. Doing that manually takes months of scheduling and travel. This keeps the network running without the massive financial drain of dispatching maintenance crews.

Industry Perspectives

Edwin Sibiya, Chief Executive Officer of Lesira-Teq, said:

“Utility providers increasingly require infrastructure that can be monitored, managed and updated remotely. Through our partnership with Onomondo, we are enabling customers to deploy a single smart metering platform across multiple markets while maintaining visibility, connectivity and operational control. This simplifies deployment and supports the growing demand for smarter utility management.”

Christian Allmer, Senior Account Executive at Onomondo, added:

“As organisations continue to scale connected infrastructure across multiple regions, connectivity should not be a barrier to growth. Through our partnership with Lesira-Teq, we are helping customers deploy and manage smart metering infrastructure more seamlessly, while benefiting from reliable global connectivity and enhanced operational flexibility.”

Supporting the Future of Utility Infrastructure

The partnership reflects the growing demand for connected utility infrastructure that can be deployed, managed and maintained at scale. By combining advanced smart metering technology with global IoT connectivity, Lesira-Teq and Onomondo are helping utility operators simplify deployment, improve operational visibility and support long-term infrastructure resilience.