Telefónica Tech, Siemens collaborate on smart buildings infrastructure

Spanish telecoms giant Telefónica announced last week that it’s teaming up with Siemens España to deliver a combination of services and solutions tailored toward smart buildings and cities.

Both companies will join to present a far-reaching value proposition that includes everything from energy efficiency and user experience to connectivity, security, and data analysis at a national level.

Taking part in the deal will be Telefónica Tech, which is the telco’s arm in digital businesses with high growth potential in IoT, Big Data, Blockchain, Cybersecurity and Cloud.

According to a joint statement, the collaboration agreement will enable both companies to present a joint value proposition that includes solutions for increasing physical security, monitoring and operational and energy efficiency, as well as user experience and the digitalization of services, where connectivity plays a leading role.

Similarly, they will offer an infrastructure that facilitates data collection and analysis to turn data into useful information for making better decisions.

The experience and knowledge of both companies will also allow them to include other joint solutions related to optimization such as smart lighting, environmental monitoring, predictive maintenance, de-escalation monitoring, smart parking, occupancy, and capacity management such as audiovisual and space reservation solutions.

Additionally, Siemens and Telefónica Tech will offer comprehensive solutions that protect buildings from fires and monitor entry points and potential intrusions with closed-circuit television (CCTV), including the possibility of analyzing these videos, among other things.

With that in mind, both companies are crafting a complete portfolio for smart buildings, where technology helps companies to achieve their sustainability goals through different solutions that help to optimize resources or reduce their environmental impact.

“The potential of uniting two portfolios with a clear focus on achieving communication, security and energy efficiency creates major opportunities for improving buildings and preparing them for the future”, explains Fernando Silva, director of Siemens Smart Infrastructure for Spain and Portugal.

He also comments that “we are combining Telefónica’s expertise in communications with Siemens expertise in smart electric networks and building automation to enable us to implement a comprehensive solution for the buildings of any private or public body.”

Buildings are responsible for 36 percent of world energy consumption and 39 percent of greenhouse gas emissions during their life cycle. Businesses are now more conscious than ever of the importance of sustainability and the economic benefits it brings.

“Smart buildings interact with the people, systems and external elements surrounding them. They learn from past experiences and real-time inputs. They adapt to the needs of the people and the businesses within them by increasing comfort, efficiency, resilience, and security,” the statement read.

The combination of the communication, physical security, and connectivity capabilities of Telefónica and Siemens solutions will be able to make all types of buildings smarter, from hospitals to corporate offices, as well as shopping centers or industrial facilities.

Telefónica Tech, on the other hand, offers specific solutions for Smart Cities that, through the implementation of IoT, Big Data and other technologies, enable it to obtain fundamental information for protecting the environment and detecting anomalies, such as in water consumption, street lighting and HVAC systems.

“This agreement with Siemens demonstrates Telefónica Tech’s potential as an integrator of solutions based on connectivity (in this agreement we offer our specialist knowledge in connectivity, physical security, IoT and Big Data) and provider of digital transformation for companies in their plans to become more sustainable organizations. Together we will make smart buildings even more advanced to promote, at the same time, energy efficiency and contribute to improving people’s lives”, explains Elena Gil, Global Director of IoT and Big Data Products and Business Operations at Telefónica Tech.