We reach 17 million IoT lines in Spain driven by V16 beacons, water, gas and industry

At Telefónica Tech, we are consolidating our leadership in Spain’s IoT market after reaching 17 million connected devices as of the end of November. This figure represents a 240% year-to-date growth, compared with around 5.02 million lines recorded at the end of 2024. We have held the top market position since late summer, after closing the third quarter with 12.3 million IoT lines, having added more than three million connected SIM cards during that period.

This growth is mainly driven by V16 connected beacons, which will replace emergency warning triangles in Spain from January. At Telefónica Tech, we provide connectivity to more than 70% of the V16 beacon models certified by Spain’s Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT). These devices enable the accurate and anonymous transmission of the geolocation of a stopped vehicle to the DGT platform, helping to alert other drivers and to enhance road safety.

IoT across key sectors: water, gas, social care and industry

Another key area is the digitisation of the urban water cycle, where we are involved in projects that already account for more than 1.5 million connected water meters. IoT connectivity enables automated remote readings, optimised infrastructure management and early leak detection. In the gas sector, IoT connectivity helps improve safety and supports real-time monitoring of distribution networks.

We are also expanding IoT use cases in the social care sector, deploying non-invasive sensors in homes to detect unusual situations, and in industrial environments, where we enable capabilities such as collaborative robotics, digital twins, computer vision and industrial communications, supporting the transition to more connected and efficient operating models.