If the smart grid concept is ever to take off, utilities are going to need to seek out partners, and one of those partners will be the traditional telco. Such collaboration is now taking place as the Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) and Verizon plan to conduct a study of what utilities require for their telecom and information technology needs.
Of course, the study is focused on what else but how to advance the smart grid. The UTC and Verizon hope to illustrate the factors that should be considered to design and deliver services that they say "will facilitate the adoption of smart-grid technology."
In September, the UTC and Verizon will release a joint report that will provide recommendations and approaches on how utilities and the telecom industry could build out communications infrastructure to support smart grid networks and applications.
"With all the communications challenges facing utilities today with smart grid and emergency-response requirements, utilities will need partners," said William R. Moroney, UTC president and CEO in a release. "To be successful, utilities and their technology partners will need to have a common understanding of the technological, operational and financial factors that are the foundations for all the communications needs of utilities."
Verizon is not a stranger to the smart grid concept. Earlier this year it announced a collaboration with electric sensor vendor CURRENT to develop IP-based smart grid services, but to get a more universal handle on how the distinct entities can play with one another will require collaboration between the two industries.
For more:
- see the release here
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