SP AusNet taps Motorola & Unwired for WiMAX based smart-metering

Stuart Corner
Thursday, 22 October 2009 14:28

Business IT - Networking

Motorola will supply and deploy its WiMAX WAP 650 base stations, access service network (ASN) gateway and new microwave systems to extend the wide area network (WAN) to new coverage areas.

According to Motorola, "The system is based on a flat, all-IP architecture that enables high-speed machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. It will facilitate communication with SP AusNet's smart meters embedded with WiMAX chipsets, collecting measurements and sending instructions in real time, supporting the analysis of usage patterns and power generation needs. This wireless network also will allow SP AusNet to facilitate smooth communications for its field operations."

Eric Starnes, vice president of sales and operations for Motorola's Home & Networks Mobility business in Asia, said: "This is the first time WiMAX technology will be used in smart metering for an electrical utility company. The WiMAX technology supports high-speed data communications and hundreds of thousands of smart metering connections that are capable of covering large geographical areas, providing a solid foundation to build a reliable and cost-effective communications network for smart metering."

Victoria is the first state in Australia to implement an extensive roll-out of smart meters. The government-led initiative will enable more than 2.2 million homes and 300,000 businesses to better manage their energy needs, cut carbon emissions and help increase retail competition.
 
According to Motorola, "Utility companies with smart metering systems will be able to provide innovative pricing structures such as discounted rates during non-peak hours. By providing more information on energy consumption levels in different time periods during the day, smart metering enables customers to enjoy cheaper electricity rates by better managing their usage. In addition, it will help increase businesses' ability to pre-define disaster planning scenarios to minimise the impact to the grid, which will save resources."

It adds: "The WiMAX-based system also can support a series of new functions such as remote connection and disconnection, outage detection and notification, power quality control and asset optimisation."