UK water companies and their framework contractors are investing significantly in remote monitoring and telemetry as part of AMP8 programmes. Pumping stations, treatment works, pressure monitoring outstations and flow measurement sites all require reliable cellular WAN. The Milesight UR series provides the connectivity and Modbus gateway requirements for most standard water sector site types.
AMP8 and Connectivity
Ofwat AMP8 (Asset Management Period 8, 2025-2030) includes significant investment obligations for water companies including improved monitoring and leakage detection. This is driving deployment of cellular connectivity at remote sites that previously had no WAN connection or were connected via ageing dialup. The Milesight UR35 and UR75 are specified for AMP8 connectivity projects by several UK water company framework contractors.
Typical Site Architecture
A pumping station outstation typically has a PLC or RTU running the local control logic, communicating via Modbus RTU over RS485. The Milesight router connects to the RTU via RS485 and provides Modbus TCP access to the SCADA host at the water company control centre. Fixed IP SIM with VPN tunnel provides secure connectivity. Dual SIM ensures connectivity resilience for sites where outage has regulatory or operational consequences.
Regulatory Considerations
Water companies operating under Ofwat obligations have data reporting requirements that effectively mandate continuous connectivity at key sites. Loss of SCADA data for extended periods may constitute a regulatory breach. Dual SIM failover and DeviceHub monitoring are standard practice for sites with reporting obligations.
Recommended Products
Milesight UR35 – 4G with RS485 Modbus gateway, suitable for most pumping station and monitoring site applications
Milesight UR75 – 5G with extended feature set, for larger sites or where future-proofing for 5G coverage is required