At the recent Hannover Fair, Phoenix Contact signed an agreement with the telecommunications giant Vodafone to offer communications packages for industrial customers, using Vodafone’s mobile phone network.

The packages, available initially in Germany, will include a special data tariff tailored specifically to industrial uses such as fault messaging, telecontrol, remote maintenance, performance monitoring and firmware updating. The preconfigured packages will include items such as industrial modems and rugged SIM cards. Once installed in an application and turned on, they will operate immediately.

Christoph Leifer, head of Phoenix Contact’s interface business (above), believes that there is tremendous untapped potential in the area of mobile-based telecommunications.

“We are absolutely certain that 100% of PLCs, DCSs and PC-based control systems will, in future, be integrated in telecontrol, remote maintenance, and diagnostic concepts,” Leifer said at the Hannover ceremony. “A high percentage of these applications will be networked via telecommunication networks.”

Holger Bühl, sales manager for Vodafone’s M2M (machine-to-machine) business in Germany, revealed that M2M communications are one of his company’s most important growth areas. He added that the Phoenix tie-up “will help us cover a much broader range in this segment”.