A new digital network launched by Connexin and Southend-on-Sea City Council is set to transform how local services are delivered, starting with the rollout of smart water meters, and will help make spotting potential problems much easier.
The network, known as a LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network), is part of a wider South Essex programme and allows small, low-powered sensors to send bits of data over long distances without needing mobile networks or Wi-Fi to nearby gateways (like post boxes) mounted on poles or buildings, which are routed to a central server and passed to dashboards used by services to act when needed.
The council's LoRaWAN was developed in partnership with other South Essex councils and is built on top of a 280km full-fibre network, providing free access for public services for the next 15 years.
This infrastructure is designed to make local services smarter and more proactive, helping spot flooding risks earlier, monitoring air quality, or identifying when vulnerable residents may need support.
There are two LoRaWAN networks supporting this work: one is run by Southend-on-Sea City Council, and the other is delivered by Connexin, a smart technology provider working with Essex and Suffolk Water on a major smart water metering programme.
Following engagement with the council's ICT team, Connexin will use some of Southend’s network capacity, including existing streetlight poles and sharing capacity on the council's network where needed.
The first major use will be smart water meters, helping Essex and Suffolk Water detect leaks more quickly, improve billing accuracy, and reduce water waste.
