A regional Spanish government tasked Telefonica with a major overhaul of water metering systems, employing the operator’s NB-IoT network to connect 175,000 smart gauges to uncork a host of operational and management upgrades.

The operator is also tasked with installing the smart meters in the Castile and Leon region in northwest Spain. The upgrade covers real-time data collection along with remote management and monitoring of consumption in domestic and industrial settings.

Telefonica branded the scheme a “step towards data-driven prediction models”.

The project is being handled by the region’s Public Infrastructure and Environment company and involves Telefonica providing a platform to analyse meter data, a move expected to boost service accuracy across gauges from multiple manufacturers.

Telefonica Tech director of IoT Dario Cesena said it is providing “more and better services to customers” by combining its NB-IoT network with managed services.

The company explained the smart meters gather data hourly, boosting detection of abnormal consumption, operational efficiency and service planning.

Security is a high priority in the communications network and management platform: Telefonica highlighted compliance with “the standards required for critical government services”.

It added the smart meter programme contributes to the digital development of the Castille and Leon region.

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The GSMA cautioned European regulations must be aligned to enable the infrastructure investments needed for the mobile industry to maintain steady growth in an already substantial contribution to GDP.

In a statement promoting the release of GSMA Intelligence’s latest regional Mobile Economy report issued ahead of the pending presidency of the European Union (EU) by the Republic of Ireland, the association reiterated concerns over network quality, 5G penetration and a gap in the funding required.

GSMA director general Vivek Badrinath noted the decisions taken during the six-month presidency and beyond “will ultimately determine how well we bolster the foundational role mobile technologies play in modern society”.

Improved mobile capabilities would also help determine “how well-equipped Europe’s digital ecosystem is to grow and compete with leading global markets”, he said.

GSMA Intelligence’s research indicates the mobile sector contributed €1.2 trillion to the EU’s GDP in 2025, up from €1 trillion in 2024.

It forecast the sum could reach €1.6 trillion in 2030, 8.2% of overall GDP compared with 6.1% in 2025.

The industry accounted for 1.3 million direct and 1.1 million indirect jobs at end-2025.

But the GSMA reiterated 5G accounted for 43% of mobile connections at end-2025 and highlighted a potential €270 billion shortfall in future funding needs.

Backing
Politicians and lobbyists said they recognise the importance of mobile connectivity to the Republic of Ireland and Europe as a whole.

The nation’s Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan said creating conditions which “allow Europe’s digital ecosystem to truly thrive is a high agenda item” during its EU presidency.

He highlighted the importance of getting politicians and industry players together to “ensure opportunities are not missed to drive European competitiveness and growth”.

Nicola Cooke, director of lobby group Ibec’s Telecommunications Industry Ireland, noted the sector is at “an important crossroads” due to pending digital networks and cybersecurity legislation, and vowed to step up efforts to advance investment “in this vital national infrastructure”.

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BT Group embarked on a mission to improve critical communications, launching a portfolio of services to boost resilience by providing prioritised access to 4G and 5G networks through its EE unit.

Mission Boost spearheads a namesake range combining BT’s mobile and cloud infrastructure, and security capabilities with services from a host of partners. The system puts essential communications first during periods of network congestion or high demand.

Partnerships position the set-up for use by organisations involved in key national infrastructure, emergency response and transport.

BT plans to evolve its range to include contact management capabilities and PTT. It positioned the move as part of a $40 billion investment in digital infrastructure spanning the decade to 2030.

Faisal Mahomed, MD of Critical Communications, said the Mission portfolio is BT’s response to the “increasingly complex environments” organisations find themselves operating in.

Electricity provider UK Power Networks is among the first companies adopting BT’s system: its director of Asset Management Kieran Coughlan said reliable connectivity is now essential to the running of its network, highlighting capabilities including the capacity to remain connected to staff in the field and tools to help turn the lights back on during power outages.

Operators are increasingly looking to reposition themselves as trusted central players in digital sectors by combining their infrastructure with third-party services.

Orange Business and Telefonica are among those to recently make comparable moves.

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