Almost four years ago, Austrian utility Netz Burgenland Strom has commissioned us to supply and deploy smart electricity meters – as one of the country’s first distribution system operators to commit to a full-scale G3 PLC smart metering solution rollout.

The French smart meter is called Linky. It is being rolled out by the country’s largest grid operator Enedis, who manages 95% of continental France’s operation, maintenance and development of the public electricity distribution network. And we have been a trusted partner for this project since it first began in 2007.

Determining the right kind of a smart metering solution is a crucial strategic decision for a utility in the initial stage of a smart meter project planning. The number of available devices, software and communication technologies as well as potential partners is huge, as is the spectrum between the two extremes – namely the component and the turn-key solution. Utility customers can buy all the components for their smart metering solution separately and manage the rollout and the software integration themselves, or they can opt for a turn-key solution and, for instance, rely on a subcontractor to manage the project in its entirety.

Increasing amounts of data, interconnected utility infrastructures, regulation and a general awareness of security and privacy issues raise the pressure also on smart metering security. E360 is our response to the most stringent security requirements.

Landis+Gyr will deliver an end-to-end smart metering solution to Olofström Kraft in Sweden. The second-generation technology utilizes NB-IoT for communication and is provided with our Software as a Service (SaaS) model.

Smart meter rollouts are unique projects that present utilities with a different set of challenges and complexities, compared with day-to-day operations. One that is well-planned and well-executed can save on time, cost and resources.