Customer testimonial

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The context

This technology is at the end of its life and is expensive to maintain. It does not support new communication modes and will be progressively stopped and replaced*. The cellular network is therefore becoming very important, as well as the operation of Machine To Machine (M2M) lines.

Synox is supporting Vichy Communauté in this transformation to provide quality communication for data transmission related to sanitation and drinking water equipment.

The solution

For the implementation of the digital transition, Vichy Communauté launched a consultation. Synox responded to this consultation in competition with three other companies.

Several criteria were used to determine the final choice of service provider. In addition to the price, the other determining criteria on which Synox stood out from the other candidates was the availability of customer support and the relevance of answers to technical questions, as well as the flexibility of the offers according to the volumes and types of information to be sent (data, voice, sms), or the flexibility granted in the invoicing mode to adapt to the administrative framework: a payment covering a defined period instead of a monthly invoice.

The particular need of Vichy Communauté – like many other communities – was based on the need to evangelize within the agglomeration community. It is important to explain the reason for this transition, but also to give the agents perspectives in terms of organization and skills development.

*The historical operator will close them from 2023, progressively until 2030

It was possible to test the proper functioning of the solution proposed by Synox before the implementation of the deal, we were able to have a quick feedback from the sanitation department which proved to be very positive.
José MORAIS, Information Systems Department

The results

Today the service is in place and the communication of the equipment has been switched to the GSM cellular network. The transition is gradual and continues in the context of the health crisis we are going through.

Vichy Communauté was looking for a specific service with security guarantees that led to the implementation of a private APN. Synox deployed its expertise in cellular connectivity but also in infrastructure security.

The flexibility provided by the multi-operator offer is a perfect response to the challenges of the sanitation business. Indeed, there are strong constraints in terms of network coverage due to the positioning of equipment placed underground.

The functionalities provided by the SoM2M#IoT management interface are also strong points in the implementation of the solution. The alert system, for example, allows for quick action in case of overconsumption. The manager is indeed warned in real time in case of abnormal consumption or even over consumption.

Another type of notification alerts the user to network malfunctions, allowing them to be informed quickly and transparently. As soon as an incident is detected, the information is disseminated to assess the risks and impacts. This allows the user to anticipate malfunctions rather than suffer them.

Finally, the economic gain is clearly identified since the cost of a communication by SIM card is much lower than that of a subscription on the telephone network. The gain is estimated at about ten euros per month per line. And this does not take into account the quality of service provided which is much better.

The next step of the project is the mutualization of the volume on several sites. Vichy Communauté continues to trust us for the supply of its SIM cards and the implementation of APNs, since our collaboration will continue until at least 2024.

The responsiveness of Synox support in the event of a problem is greatly appreciated. It promotes our collaboration in an environment of trust.
José MORAIS, Information Systems Department