Siemens has announced a strategic move to sell slices of O2 Telefónica‘s public 5G network to water utilities and wastewater treatment companies across Germany. This novel solution represents a managed industrial automation initiative tailored to the water industry. By utilizing a specific segment of public 5G, Siemens aims to offer similar capabilities usually bound to private 5G setups, ensuring seamless integration for distributed enterprise operations.
The water industry, unlike manufacturing with its localized private 5G networks, faces extensive geographical distribution. This necessitates connectivity over large distances. In this context, public 5G networks, optimized with advanced standalone (SA) technology, present a feasible solution. With 5G SA technology now allowing superior connectivity, Siemens and O2 Telefónica are collaborating to further develop and tailor 5G and AI slicing applications, focused on enhancing Industry 4.0 operations.
Siemens’ market advantage lies in its established relationships with enterprises. Water utilities, already integrated with Siemens’ Industry 4.0 hardware, seek advanced connectivity to support evolving AI-driven agendas and bolster intelligent automation. The introduction of industrial 5G routers, developed for their private 5G proposition, is part of this package. These routers promise enhanced connectivity and an elevated AI integration.
This solution marks the first fully integrated connectivity method leveraging 5G network slicing for optimized operations. A pilot project is already underway in North Rhine-Westphalia, illustrating the potential of such deployments. “Unlike manufacturing, water facilities need connections over long distances,” Siemens noted, emphasizing the network’s ability to cover extensive infrastructures like pumping stations, reservoirs, and treatment plants.
Another vital aspect is this solution’s alignment with national 5G coverage, progressively extending beyond urban centers to cater to rural and distributed infrastructures. O2 Telefónica will adjust its 5G SA coverage to meet Siemens’ utility client needs, ensuring broad, reliable service.
A critical challenge the water industry faces is orchestrating distributed infrastructure securely and efficiently. Until now, connectivity efforts were often burdensome and required complex solutions. With 5G network slicing, water utilities can streamline their operations with ease and efficiency. “Now, water utilities can easily and securely connect their entire infrastructure via 5G network slicing technology,” said Siemens.
Furthermore, the partnership between Siemens and O2 Telefónica is expected to push the boundaries of industrial automation contracts by leveraging optimised slices of public 5G that mimic many characteristics of private networks. As the two companies continue to develop this offering, the market will likely see a broad deployment of such integrated 5G solutions. To quote Axel Lorenz, Siemens’ CEO of process automation, “This combination delivers the necessary quality, reliability, and security for demanding automation applications.” Meanwhile, Alfons Lösing, of O2 Telefónica, highlighted the collaboration’s potential for industrial application breakthroughs via mobile communications.
