More Australia IP Communications Stories

Motorola, which provides an end-to-end worldwide interoperability for microwave access – known as WiMAX (News - Alert) – broadband solution, announced that Australian energy delivery company SP AusNet  is utilizing Motorola (News - Alert) Home & Networks Mobility business mobile broadband technology for that company’s smart metering program.

 

Called the world's "first" WiMAX-based smart metering applications, SP AusNet’s system will help monitor and reduce electricity usage for more than 680,000 customers in Victoria, according to company officials.

 

Motorola will offer its WiMAX WAP 650 base stations operating at 2.3GHz, Access service network gateway and new microwave systems to extend the wide area network to new coverage areas for the smart metering applications, said company sources.

 

“This is the first time WiMAX technology will be used in smart metering for an electrical utility company,” said Eric Starnes (News - Alert), vice president of sales and operations for Motorola’s Home & Networks Mobility business in Asia, in a statement.

 

“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,” Starnes added.

 

Smart metering is a full measurement and collection system that includes customer meters, communication networks and data management systems. With Motorola’s WiMAX application that supports wireless communications between customers’ meters and the central system, the system can record electricity consumption measurements and remotely manage customer meters.

 

A government-led initiative, the smart metering in Australia 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, say company officials. Victoria is the first state in Australia to implement the extensive roll-out of smart meters.

 

Utility companies that deploy smart metering systems will be able to offer discounted rates to their customers during non-peak hours. In addition, the system will help increase businesses' ability to pre-define disaster planning scenarios to minimize the impact to the grid, which will save resources. 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 optimization.

 

SP AusNet’s smart metering system is based on a flat, all-IP architecture that enables high-speed machine-to-machine communications, say company officials. 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.

 

With this network, SP AusNet, which owns and operates an electricity distribution network in eastern and northeastern Victoria including outer eastern metro and outer northern metro Melbourne, can also enable smooth communications for its field operations. The WiMAX technology also enables fast infrastructure roll-out and lower deployment and operating costs for utility companies, say company officials.

The project spans a four-year period and Motorola will start shipping and installing products by the end of 2009.

 

Motorola recently announced that Vinaphone, a subsidiary of Viet Nam Posts and Telecommunications Group, has launched a 3G service in Vietnam using network infrastructure based on equipment from Motorola’s Home and Networks Mobility business.