Semtech System Finds Market in Chinese Water Meters

Semtech Corp. announced Thursday that a Chinese water company has used its long-range, low-power technology in its smart water metering products. The use of the Camarillo company’s technology, known as LoRa, by Hangzhou Water Meter Co. Ltd. enables the public utility to improve efficiency and reduce management costs. Jian Liu, general manager of Hangzhou Water Meter, said the LoRa-based water metering technology allows its water supply customers to lower operating costs, improve the efficiency of meter reading management and save water resources. “Semtech’s LoRa devices is an ideal (Internet of Things) platform for smarter metering with its easy to deploy, long range and flexible capabilities,” Liu said in a statement. By the end of the year, the Chinese company will have deployed 80 LoRa based gateway devices and tens of thousands of intelligent water meter terminals in 72 residential districts in Hangzhou. It has already deployed LoRa-enabled smart water metering products in Zhejiang, Anhui, Hunan, Sichuan, and other regions of China. Marc Pegulu, vice president of Internet of Things for Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group, said that the technology’s long range, low power capabilities are advantages in the utilities industry. “LoRa is an established leader in the smart metering industry, creating scalable, secure and reliable solutions to help our customers deliver more efficient metering solutions to reduce waste and utility spending,” Pegulu said in a statement. Shares of Semtech (SMTC) closed Thursday down 31 cents, or less than a percent, to $48.51 on the Nasdaq.