IN Brief:
- Deutsche Telekom plans to close its German 2G network by 30 June 2028.
- Panasonic’s FP-I4C controller is being combined with INSYS icom industrial LTE and 5G routers and gateways.
- The retrofit retains existing control hardware while modernising connectivity, remote access, and network security.
Panasonic Industry and INSYS icom have combined industrial control and communications hardware to help operators migrate long-life 2G installations onto LTE and 5G networks without replacing complete control systems.
The joint approach is aimed initially at water and environmental infrastructure in Germany, where distributed assets still use GSM-based communications. Deutsche Telekom plans to shut down its 2G network by 30 June 2028, leaving operators with a fixed deadline for equipment that cannot establish a connection over newer mobile standards.
At the centre of the retrofit is Panasonic Industry’s FP-I4C communication controller, paired with industrial routers and gateways from INSYS icom. The controller is intended to bridge existing serially connected equipment into modern communications infrastructure, allowing established field hardware to remain in service while the mobile-network interface is replaced.
The FP-I4C can connect installed equipment to databases and cloud systems, provide remote access and maintenance, create web-based visualisations, and support point-to-point or multipoint communication structures. INSYS icom’s routers add industrial LTE and 5G connectivity, VPN-based secure transmission, connection redundancy, and interfaces into SCADA, IoT, and cloud environments.
The arrangement addresses a common lifecycle mismatch in industrial systems. Communications equipment can become obsolete well before pumps, controllers, sensors, and process assets reach the end of their useful lives, yet replacing an entire installation because one radio standard is being withdrawn can be disproportionately expensive. A gateway-led migration separates the network transition from the lifecycle of the underlying control hardware.
Sonja Linder, European Marketing Manager at Panasonic Industry, said: “With the FP-I4C, we offer a kind of ‘Swiss Army knife’ for industrial communication. It enables existing serially connected controllers to be integrated into modern networks—without requiring a complete system replacement.”
The engineering task is broader than swapping a GSM modem for an LTE router. Distributed water systems can combine several protocol generations, serial interfaces, supervisory control, remote telemetry, and field equipment that was designed long before cloud connectivity became routine. A retrofit therefore has to preserve established control behaviour while creating a communications path that can be managed, monitored, and secured over a longer service period.
INSYS icom’s routers are designed for industrial use with hardened operating systems, encryption technologies, VPN architectures, and support for current mobile standards. Those controls become part of the migration because an upgrade from a narrow legacy connection to an IP-based link changes the security environment around equipment that may have been installed many years ago.
Remote maintenance and improved data integration can also be introduced during the radio migration, giving operators the option to modernise monitoring without changing core automation logic. In geographically dispersed water networks, that can reduce routine site visits while retaining the controllers and field instrumentation already proven in service.
Migration testing will also have to cover behaviour during loss and restoration of the mobile link, VPN reconnection, alarm delivery, and interaction with supervisory systems. Long-lived infrastructure cannot assume that a successful laboratory connection is enough: fallback behaviour, remote diagnostics, and configuration management need to remain predictable when equipment is unattended for extended periods.
The approach does not eliminate wider lifecycle problems. Older controllers may eventually face component obsolescence, unsupported software, or their own security limitations, and those issues still need separate planning. The immediate 2G deadline, however, is a communications problem with a known date, which makes selective replacement practical where the rest of an installation remains serviceable.
Deutsche Telekom’s timetable leaves operators less than two years to identify 2G-dependent assets, establish which interfaces can be retained, and test replacement communications before the legacy network is withdrawn. Panasonic Industry and INSYS icom are positioning the FP-I4C and industrial-router combination as one route through that transition, preserving useful field equipment while replacing the part of the system that the mobile network will soon make unusable.
