Data from the sensors is sent to Huawei’s OceanConnect IoT platform through Telefonica’s network
Huawei, Telefónica Germany, and IoT provider Q-loud have jointly launched a smart meter proof-of-concept (POC) based on NB-IoT technology for Munich airport.
The partners said that insufficient wireless signals in buildings and underground have limited the application of sensors in various fields across the airport, making it challenging to replace analog and manual readings of electricity, water or gas meters. However, the new trial of NB-IoT potentially opens up new fields for the application of sensors at Munich Airport, Huawei said.
Munich Airport, together with Huawei and Telefónica Germany, has developed an intelligent solution that uses NB-IoT to transform analog systems into digital solutions. The EnergyCam, a camera system developed by Q-loud, can record meter readings of traditional roller meters, analyze images and recognize displayed meter readings through integrated software, and transfer the data in digital form through NB-IoT.
The data is sent to Huawei’s OceanConnect IoT platform through the Telefonica network.
“One important requirement for the current ongoing digital development of the airport has already been established: the IT department and technology department need to join efforts if the physical world on premises is to be connected to the Internet and become part of the internet of things,” said Johann Götz, responsible for software and infrastructure development at Munich Airport.
“We are responsible for numerous electricity meters, based in the buildings on our premises and in properties in a 10-kilometer radius from the airport. These need to be read at least once a year, and many need to be read monthly. It’s a lot of work, and because electricity consumption cannot be recorded in real-time, we cannot quickly intervene if there are any unforeseen changes,” Götz added.
“We have implemented a new mobile communications standard for this trial in Munich Airport using NB-IoT, which is specially designed for industrial-grade internet of things deployments and enables energy-efficient data transmission from corresponding IoT devices,” said Alexander Rupprecht, Director B2B at Telefónica in Germany.
Rupprecht explained that Cologne-based Q-loud offers a production-ready product, dubbed EnergyCam, for digitizing analog meters that comes pre-integrated for connection to Huawei’s OceanConnect IoT platform. Meter data from analog meter equipment can therefore be transferred in real-time using the NB-IoT transfer standard to data platforms for further processing.
Vodafone Germany activates NB-IoT network in new cities
In related news, Vodafone Germany has recently activated its NB-IoT in Germany’s Ruhr region as part of the telco’s strategy to deploy a M2M communications network in Germany. Vodafone’s M2M offer is now operational in a number of cities across the Ruhr such as Dortmund, Gelsenkirchen, Bottrop, Bochum, Castrop Rauxel and Gladbeck, among others.
Vodafone Germany has also recently launched this technology in Frankfurt, where companies, residents and visitors, can now benefit from smart city applications like intelligent street lights, electricity meters and trash containers, said Vodafone.
