Kummert Picks Telekom to Enable Communications for Sewer Inspection

Sewer inspection is high-tech these days. With the help of Deutsche Telekom, robust inspection systems from Kummert provide data on the invisible infrastructure beneath our feet: for its preservation, water conservation and environmental protection.

State-of-the-art cameras are inserted into the pipes with a push cable and, in addition to pin-sharp images in HD quality, also provide data on the location and course of the pipes.

The result is a detailed map of the underworld as well as a precise inventory of condition and functionality. Telekom transmits this data to a cloud using secure mobile communications from its M2M platform (machine-to-machine communication).

The service provider carrying out the inspection thus has immediate access to the results and can evaluate, process and pass them on to its customers without delay. With regular inspections of the sewers, damage can be detected at an early stage.

This can prevent wastewater from seeping into the groundwater via damaged areas, for example, or restricting the functionality of the drainage systems.

"We are constantly developing our software, reels and cameras to give our customers even better results. In doing so, it is important for us to use all the possibilities that current technologies offer us," explained Bernhard Kummert, managing partner of Kummert GmbH. "However, the data obtained must of course be securely transferred from the inspection devices to the cloud at all times. For this, we rely on Telekom's mobile network."

High-performance network

Telekom equips Kummert's inspection devices with SIM cards. Data transmission runs highly securely through a specially sealed VPN (Virtual Private Network) tunnel in the public network. In addition, the SIM card "knows" only one recipient, namely the cloud of can3D®, and only allows this recipient access.

Depending on the customer's requirements, the volume of data transferred fluctuates. "We have therefore developed a usage model especially for Kummert that offers full flexibility at optimum cost," explained Bernd Pfeiffer from Telekom Deutschland's Business Customer segment.

The basis for the M2M offering is Telekom's high-performance network. Telekom always offers its customers the best possible network access for their solution and pursues a "multi-access strategy". Depending on the requirements, Telekom M2M solutions use different transmission paths - wireless technologies such as 2G, LTE or LTE-M especially for IOT applications, NB IoT fixed-network connections or local networks with medium range such as Powerline or W-LAN. In addition to its technological expertise and outstanding connectivity, Telekom also scores points for system integration at the customer's site.