The National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC) has entered into a reseller agreement with Raleigh, N.C-based Sensus for offering smart grid technologies to its members. Under the agreement, NRTC (News - Alert) will offer to its members Sensus’ FlexNet advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system, smart meters, distribution automation and demand response solutions.
NRTC said it struck the deal with Sensus in response to requests from its co-op members for a wireless AMI solution.
“The Sensus FlexNet system is a proven, licensed wireless AMI technology and a wise investment for the future as it can support smart metering and smart grid applications like distribution automation with one network,” said Ed Drew, vice president of utility solutions at NRTC.
The FlexNet system is a long-range radio AMI solution based on open standards and it communicates via dedicated, primary-use, FCC (News - Alert)-protected spectrum. For electric co-ops, this means that the system can reliably communicate data over long distances and varied geographic terrain with lean infrastructure requirements.
“Licensed wireless provides the range needed for our electric cooperative members, reaching meters at tens of miles rather than hundreds of feet as is the case for unlicensed mesh alternatives,” added Drew.
Following the agreement, NRTC will bring the benefits of the smart grid to its customers by automating meter reads, reducing truck rolls and receiving real-time notification of outages for faster service restoration.
For Sensus, which has already been delivering proven smart grid solutions for several rural electric co-ops, the latest deal helps to keep growth momentum in the increasingly competitive smart grid technology market.
In a related news story, Sensus said it is the first Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) company to achieve overall cyber security certification after an eight-month collaborative effort with industrial testing and certification firm Wurldtech Security Technologies. Sensus said it achieved the Wurldtech Achilles Practices Certification (APC (News - Alert)), a security best practices benchmark, in addition to the Achilles Communication Certification previously awarded for the Sensus FlexNet AMI communications system. The Wurldtech Achilles Certifications are based on standards set by the International Instrumentation Users Association (WIB).
Narayan Bhat is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Narayan’s articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Jennifer Russell
Internet Telephony Magazine
Click here to read latest issue
CUSTOMER 
Cloud Computing Magazine
Click here to read latest issue
IoT EVOLUTION MAGAZINE
