Trio develops innovative digital water meter for the German market

On December 22, a contract was signed between Kamstrup, Danish provider of intelligent solutions and services for energy and water metering, GELSENWASSER AG, one of the largest water utilities in Germany, and PHYSEC GmbH, German specialist of innovative security and connectivity concepts.

During 2021, the three companies will launch a digital drinking water meter for the German market. The water meter will be developed with LoRaWAN communication technology including the highest security level. The communication technology has already been developed by PHYSEC and Gelsenwasser.

“With the new digital water meter, Gelsenwasser will increase efficiency and improve customer service. We want to avoid manual reading and instead automate customer billing. If needed, we can inform the customers about their current water consumption and for instance timely warn them about leakages in their house”, explains Dr. Dirk Waider, Gelsenwasser board member.

He continues: “The digital water meters can also provide us with information about the conditions in the network in order to detect a burst at an early stage. We have included high security standards in the newly develop radio communication to protect customer data”

The LoRaWAN communication technology is currently being tested in the German city Gelsenkirchen, where 400 water meters will be installed at the end of 2020.

“The project illustrates how innovation within Internet of Things (IoT) successfully can be implemented at European level, taking security and privacy-by-design principles into account. With Gelsenwasser and Kamstrup, we have two strong partners who complement each other perfectly and thus bring affordable, pioneering and at the same time resilient innovation to the market,” says Heiko Koepke, CFO PHYSEC GmbH.

Kamstrup also emphasises the collaboration between the three companies:

“It is obvious that digitalisation has also increasingly found its way into the German water industry. We will be developing solutions not only for, but together with the German market. A market that is so important for Europe. The cooperation with Gelsenwasser and PHYSEC ensures that the development of innovative communication technologies will meet the highest security standards“, says Kim Lehmann, CEO Kamstrup.

In the beginning of 2022, Gelsenwasser will install the first 25.000 water meters.

Photo: Dr. Dirk Waider, Gelsenwasser-Vorstand