An EnergyAustralia spokesperson told Infosecurity that both the LTE and WiMAX technologies meet the utility’s “stringent requirements to protect the data within a smart grid.”
Earlier this year, EnergyAustralia announced that it was rolling out a fourth-generation (4G) wireless telecommunications network based on WiMAX technology to transmit two-way data between field devices, back-end systems, and households. The 4G network is necessary to provide the bandwidth for a smart grid system.
The utility explained that the smart grid system being deployed will allow the network to self-heal when faults occur, prevent faults by allowing more effective maintenance, and provide a picture of electricity use on every street for better planning.
In November, EnergyAustralia announced that it was conducting a trial of LTE technology for its 4G wireless network –,LTE is being provided by Ericsson. Under the agreement, Ericsson as prime integrator will provide equipment, software and services to operate the 4G network at 150 sites, including the WiMAX solution from Airspan Networks.
According to EnergyAustralia Managing Director George Maltabarow, “We are now rolling out a WiMAX communications network and will begin trials of an LTE platform at 15 sites next year, with the plan to move to a full LTE network.”
The utility has already conducted successful trials of the carrier-grade WiMAX technology at six sites in the greater Newcastle areas and two sites in Sydney. The WiMAX network will be phased in progressively across 140 locations over the next 18 months, it said.
Maltabarow added, “One of the major benefits for choosing this 4G/LTE platform is its approach to cybersecurity–a key consideration in selecting technology for the electricity industry.”
The smart grid network will transmit data between 12 000 smart monitoring devices on the electricity network, 3000 mobile field computers, 200 zone substations, and its Smart Village smart grid project in Newington, Australia. The network will link about 150 sites in Sydney, Central Coast, and Hunter.
Earlier this year, EnergyAustralia signed an agreement with Vivid Wireless and AUSTAR to acquire 7 MHz of 2.3-GHz spectrum for the utility’s 4G wireless communications network.
EnergyAustralia was chosen by the Australian Government to lead the Smart Grid, Smart City pilot project to test Australia’s first fully integrated, commercial-scale smart grid. EnergyAustralia’s 4G network will cover the five locations that are part of the pilot project – Newcastle, Scone, Ku-ring-gai, Newington, and Sydney.