BT plans long-range radio for UK smart meter rollout

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BT has teamed up with Arquiva and Detica to propose a long-range radio solution for the Government’s national smart meter rollout.

Long-range radio has already proved successful over in the US and offers nationwide coverage as well as reliable reception indoors, according to BT.

The communications giant had spent 18 months reviewing the myriad communications options for the Government initiative, deciding which would be best for transmitting customers’ data before settling on long-range radio.

Arqiva’s radio spectrum and infrastructure will be included in the planned solution, while Detica will provide data and infrastructure security.

BT will help deliver the proposed service using its expertise in national IT and telecommunications projects.

Smart meter and smart grid specialist Sensus will also be supporting the proposal, providing its long range radio technology FlexNet.

The plans will be presented in September once the companies have reviewed the Government’s prospectus about the potential commercial opportunities of the smart meter rollout.

A BT spokesperson told IT PRO it believes it is the first company to put out such a “statement of intent”.

As for whether it expects other firms to make a bid for smart meter communications, the spokesperson said BT would “rather other companies would collaborate”.

“It is vital that any solution is designed for ubiquitous coverage of homes and is thoroughly secure and resilient. We believe that long-range radio is the only technology to offer nationwide coverage,” said Olivia Garfield, BT group strategy director.

“The smart meter initiative will represent a significant addition to our critical national infrastructure and, as such, security and privacy must be key considerations in its design,” added Martin Sutherland, managing director at Detica.

The EU’s energy market liberalisation plans spell out that by 2020 smart meters should be deployed across most homes and small businesses in Europe.

In the UK, around 28 million homes and small businesses are expected to have meters installed, lowering the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2.6 million tones every year.

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