Telit freezes $220 mn deal to back Britain’s smart metering system

NEW DELHI: The global enabler of the Internet of Things (IoT), Telit has secured a six-year supply commitment valued at approximately $220 million as one of the technology providers for the GB SMIP, Great Britain’s ambitious, world-leading £ 11.3 billion Smart Metering infrastructure project.

Telit IoT cellular modules are to power a portion of the nearly 30 million ‘comms’ hubs bridging ZigBee data communication between the smart meters, and either RF or cellular networks. Telit-equipped cellular comms hubs will use a specially developed UE910 UMTS/HSPA module delivering the 3Gbackhaul communication, leveraging the company’s extensive experience in the energy market.

Organized and run by the UK’s Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC), the GB SMIP proposes to install smart meters in homes and businesses across the UK canvassing the vast majority of gas and electricity utility customers by 2020. The system will monitor consumption and provide information to help consumers and businesses use energy more efficiently.  The agency also expects SMIP to deliver a number of direct benefits to consumers including end to estimated billing, better support for microgeneration and exported energy billing, savings from better access to energy tariff price information, more reliable next-day switching and opportunity for new smart consumer products and services.

“As a very active member of the UK’s BEAMA and specifically, its Comms Hub Working Group BCHWG, Telit is not only proud to be selected as a supplier to this world benchmark project in smart metering, but also to be a part of the think tank that worked on key standards and technology foundation that made SMIP possible,” said Yosi Fait, President and Finance Director, Telit.

Telit has invested solidly in the special SMIP UE910 project as well as the manufacturing and logistics framework necessary to fulfill integration and roll out requirements from government as well as the various vendors involved in the project, indicated Fait.