Deveritec and Wirepas have announced the availability of a new reference Network Interface Card (NIC) developed by Deveritec for the Wirepas 5G Mesh implementation of the non-cellular 5G standard NR+.
Tailored to the needs of advanced smart electricity metering, the NIC, based on the Nordic Semiconductor nRF9151 chip, is now available to any smart meter company aiming to accelerate their Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) development using the NR+ standard. This collaboration aims to kick-start the deployment of NR+ technology in smart meters across Europe.
"NR+ standard brings significant advantages to the smart metering industry in Europe," said Jani Vehkalahti, SVP of Smart Metering at Wirepas. "With the generous, dedicated license-free spectrum, we ensure to fulfill the rising demand for near-real time data in smart metering. Our 5G Mesh implementation of NR+ outperforms the reliability and quality of service of cellular networks and matches the scalability provided with PLC standards while in same time securing asset and network ownership for the utility. The decentralized mesh topology mitigates risks that come with insufficient network coverage, excessive maintenance or SEP costs, and limited upgradability or interoperability. Plus, the immediate availability of NIC hardware accelerates the digitization at the grid edge."
"By combining our hardware and application development expertise with Wirepas' exceptional mesh networking platform, we're offering a platform that significantly reduces time-to-market for utilities and meter vendors," said Robert Stolz, COO of Deveritec.