Huawei and Vodafone on Wednesday announced an "important new step" in the implementation of NB-IoT (a low power, wide area network) in Smart City and utility markets.

The announcement was made at the Smart City Expo, which is being held in Barcelona from Tuesday to Thursday this week.

The companies explained that the Spanish cities of Malaga and Seville and their water utility companies -- EMASA and EMASESA -- will form part of the implementation of the NB-IoT services during the first quarter of 2017 with the aim of "modernizing communications services, improving maintenance, optimizing costs and offering a better public service," in what is another step in the evolution of mobile communication technology.

Jiang Wangcheng, the vice-president of Huawei's department of marketing and solutions, said the companies were "delighted" the two local authorities had shown confidence in Huawei and Vodafone.

"Both companies are working together to create a high-level NB-IoT infrastructure which will assure a successful commercial launch of this innovative technology," said Jiang.

Meanwhile, Vodafone's IoT director Ivo Rook said the agreement with Malaga and Sevilla "show just how attractive the NB-IoT is to the utilities and Smart City markets."

The system will first be used for water management in Seville and Malaga, with the next step being to extend the use of NB-IoT into traffic and waste management and other areas. Endit

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