63 / 84
consumers.
According to ABI Research, the
number of smart meters deployed
worldwide by 2020 will reach 780
million for electricity, 150 million for
gas and 90 million for water. It’s an
enormous market opportunity. Central
to it is the choice of connectivity
technology, and this must be pre-
determined before implementation,
typically respecting national energy
regulators’ requirements.
Cellular communication:
continuous innovation
turns smart metering into
the industrial Internet of
Things
While Power Line Communication
(PLC) and various versions of radio
frequency (RF) radio communication
technologies have historically been
used for large-scale metering
infrastructures, cellular communication
is now the preferred choice for the
lion’s share of new deployments.
This is the result of government
mandates, which require the use of
technology based on specifications
from open standards. Utilities
companies are also increasingly
keen to use existing public cellular
networks. Doing so reduces the
capital and operational cost of large-
scale roll-outs, because utilities do not
need to allocate resources to design,
install, operate and maintain a private
network. Instead, they can focus on
their core business.
The advantage of cellular
open standards for utilities
Cellular open standards bring
additional benefits in interoperability,
coverage and capacity, as well as other
critical aspects, which are especially
pertinent for multiservice utilities.
A good example is when AMI platforms
are used by utilities that operate
multiple metering applications, such
as electricity, gas and water. The
benefits will also be felt in situations
where smart metering is paired with
other municipal automation and
remote monitoring systems, such
as waste collection, smart parking
services and other forms of urban and
environmental surveillance.
In these cases, using cellular
communication makes engineers’ jobs
much easier than it would be if they
were required to use a more niche or
proprietary radio technology. Because
cellular is based on open standards, it
offers better interoperability between
different smart metering devices
and multiple OEM suppliers. Cellular
technology can therefore help minimize
network design complexity and secure
quality of service by reducing radio
signal collision and interference.
Smart metering security
Another important aspect of smart
meter design is security. Security is
a fast-evolving landscape and the
complex IT networks that utilities
companies deploy will need to operate
for a very long time. Security will
therefore require continued attention
throughout a network’s lifetime.
The 1983 WorldGames quote, “Hey, I
don’t believe that any system is totally
secure,” is not just a science fiction
problem. It is not difficult to imagine
a catastrophic scenario where smart
meters get hacked, especially once
millions are deployed and have been
operating in the field for many years.
A malfunction or a malicious attack
on smart meters’ firmware could
result in millions of devices turning
off simultaneously, risking massive
damage to a large region or to an
entire country’s grid. AMI must
therefore safeguard security over
Wireless Special Edition
New-Tech Magazine Europe l 63