Revolutionary 5G Network Slicing Solution Transforms Water Utility Automation in Germany

Industrial 5G Router from Siemens

(IN BRIEF) Siemens and O₂ Telefónica Germany have partnered to launch a groundbreaking connectivity solution based on 5G network slicing, specifically designed for automation applications in the water industry. The solution, named “5G Slice for the Water Industry,” addresses the unique challenges faced by water utilities and wastewater treatment companies, which require long-distance connectivity due to the wide distribution of their facilities. By splitting O₂ Telefónica’s physical 5G network into customizable virtual slices, the product guarantees optimized speed, response times, and robust security, ensuring reliable control and monitoring of essential processes like pressure regulation and flow measurement. A pilot project is currently underway in North Rhine-Westphalia to test the solution’s capabilities. Key industry leaders from Siemens and O₂ Telefónica have underscored that this initiative not only offers superior performance and security but also significantly simplifies the integration of dispersed infrastructure, potentially reducing costs and streamlining operations for water utilities.

(PRESS RELEASE) NUREMBERG/MUNICH, 7-Apr-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Siemens, in collaboration with O₂ Telefónica Germany, has unveiled a pioneering connectivity solution that leverages 5G network slicing specifically tailored for Siemens’ automation applications. Targeted at water utilities and wastewater treatment companies throughout Germany, this innovative product is set to revolutionize the networking of the water industry by enabling seamless, secure, and reliable communication over expansive geographical areas—a stark contrast to the localized 5G campus networks used in manufacturing. A pilot project is already underway with a water utility in North Rhine-Westphalia, testing the full potential of this advanced solution.

Water treatment plant

This new offering, branded as “5G Slice for the Water Industry,” empowers water utilities to monitor and control their entire network of automation technologies over a virtual 5G network slice. By dividing O₂ Telefónica Germany’s physical 5G network into customized, regionally confined virtual networks, the solution ensures that each slice is optimized for specific needs such as speed, response time, and security. This optimization is critical for automating vital processes like pressure control, flow measurement, and emergency responses, all while maintaining high standards of cybersecurity and data protection essential for critical infrastructure.

Siemens and O₂ Telefónica Deutschland cooperate (from left): Axel Lorenz, CEO Process Automation, Siemens; Alfons Lösing, Chief Partner und Wholesale Officer, O₂ Telefónica; Herbert Wegmann, General Manager Digital Connectivity and Power, Siemens.

During a joint demonstration of the partnership, key representatives were visible: Axel Lorenz, CEO of Process Automation at Siemens; Alfons Lösing, Chief Partner and Wholesale Officer at O₂ Telefónica; and Herbert Wegmann, General Manager Digital Connectivity and Power at Siemens. Axel Lorenz highlighted that the integration of Siemens hardware with 5G network slicing technology from O₂ Telefónica delivers unparalleled reliability and security for distributed automation applications. Alfons Lösing added that Siemens’ expertise in industrial applications makes it the perfect partner to pioneer the use of 5G network slicing in critical, geographically dispersed industrial settings.

The launch marks a significant milestone for the water industry, which has traditionally grappled with the challenge of centrally orchestrating widely distributed infrastructure such as pumping stations, reservoirs, water towers, and treatment plants. The new solution streamlines connectivity, reducing both the time and costs associated with complex, individualized network setups. As a result, water utilities can now integrate additional sites into their network more swiftly and with enhanced security.

Siemens Digital Industries (DI) empowers companies of all sizes within the process and discrete manufacturing industries to accelerate their digital and sustainability transformation across the entire value chain. Siemens’ cutting-edge automation and software portfolio revolutionizes the design, realization and optimization of products and production. And with Siemens Xcelerator – the open digital business platform – this process is made even easier, faster, and scalable. Together with our partners and ecosystem, Siemens Digital Industries enables customers to become a sustainable Digital Enterprise. Siemens Digital Industries has a workforce of around 70,000 people worldwide.

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a leading technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, mobility, and healthcare. The company’s purpose is to create technology to transform the everyday, for everyone. By combining the real and the digital worlds, Siemens empowers customers to accelerate their digital and sustainability transformations, making factories more efficient, cities more livable, and transportation more sustainable. Siemens also owns a majority stake in the publicly listed company Siemens Healthineers, a leading global medical technology provider pioneering breakthroughs in healthcare. For everyone. Everywhere. Sustainably.
In fiscal 2024, which ended on September 30, 2024, the Siemens Group generated revenue of €75.9 billion and net income of €9.0 billion. As of September 30, 2024, the company employed around 312,000 people worldwide on the basis of continuing operations. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.com.

O₂ Telefónica is a leading full-service provider of telecommunications services for private and business customers. The portfolio of the core brand O₂ and various secondary and partner brands includes traditional telephony and internet connections as well as innovative digital services in the area of the Internet of Things and data analysis. In mobile communications, O₂ Telefónica manages more than 45 million mobile lines (incl. M2M – as at 31.12.2024). No network operator connects more people in this country. The company’s high-performance and award-winning mobile network reaches more than 99 percent of the population. In the fixed network, O₂ Telefónica offers its customers leading technological diversity and geographical availability in Germany. In the 2024 financial year, the company generated revenue of 8.5 billion euros with around 7,500 employees. The company is majority-owned by the Spanish telecommunications group Telefónica S.A., based in Madrid, one of the largest telecommunications groups in the world.

Media Contact:

Christoph Krösmann
Siemens AG
+49 162 7436402
christoph.kroesmann@siemens.com

SOURCE: Siemens AG