Nokia has introduced the 7705 SAR-Hm LTE (News - Alert)/3G wireless router. It enables utilities to more easily extend IP/MPLS to smart grid locations. That will be important as more connected devices related to power generation and efficiency move into the field.
"Adding LTE and other wireless capabilities to the proven 7705 platform provides compelling new choices for utilities looking to extend the reach of their connectivity to modernize grid operations," commented Melvin Sam Charuvilayil, supervisor of IT network planning and engineering at Kansas City Power and Light.
(KCP&L SmartGrid is testing smart grid technology in an effort to reduce energy delivery costs, lessen power outages, and help customers better understand and control their energy usage.)
Mike Zeto, general manager and executive director of AT&T (News - Alert) Smart Cities, meanwhile, said: "AT&T is excited to team with Nokia to offer U.S. utilities a private LTE solution. The new Nokia wireless router will help utility customers modernize their grid distribution and build converged field area networks to reap the benefits of the smart grid."
(AT&T launched its smart cities framework a year ago this month. Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas are some of its initial target areas for the effort.)
Wirelessly-connected smart grid implementations could contribute $1.8 trillion in revenue to the U.S. economy and save the average consumer hundreds of dollars a year, according to the Electronic Power Research Institute.
“Improving the efficiency, reliability, and security of the nation’s power delivery grid impacts nearly every aspect of the U.S. economy,” Deloitte says in a January 2017 paper titled Wireless Connectivity Fuels Industry Growth and Innovation in Energy, Health, Public Safety, and Transportation. “The electric grid covers the entire country and is comprised of the generation of electricity by power plants and other sources, the transmission of electricity, and the distribution of electricity to homes. Wireless connectivity is reshaping the energy landscape with greater access to real-time information. Connectivity helps augment the energy industry’s critical role in the economy, electricity utilities in particular, despite ongoing challenges created by aging infrastructure and sheer complexity.”
Edited by
Stefania Viscusi
