Utilities
Cutting the wires: 4G for the Smart Grid
Peter Johnson assesses the opportunity for LTE systems in the utility industries
promise country-wide 4G (fourth generation) mobile communications services and the 4G capable iPhone 5 will be in the shops. Everything Everywhere adds to a rapidly growing list of almost 100 commercial 4G deployments around the world. 4G services are predominantly based on
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Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology which is enabling the high-speed, high-bandwidth ap- plications such as video streaming and online gaming being demanded by the hungry hordes of smartphone and tablet users. T e growing maturity of LTE is starting to attract the at- tention of other communities that depend on communications to run their operations, such as public safety agencies, rail operators and, of course, utilities. T is maturity is represented by regulatory and technological stability (i.e. LTE is here to stay), coupled with intense competi- tion that is lowering prices for 4G devices and services. With many electricity providers investigat-
ing or actively deploying new communications technology in line with their Smart Grid objec- tives, is there a role to play for LTE? To help answer that question, we need to understand what exactly LTE is, what it can do for electric- ity providers and how they can get it.
The A to Z of LTE At its simplest, wireless technology is the most cost-eff ective way – and in some cases the only way – of providing connectivity. Mobile tech- nology is nothing new for utilities, of course. Cellular has been used widely for backhaul connections and professional mobile radio (PMR) is commonplace. So let’s fi rst examine
About the author
Peter Johnson is vice president major projects and progammes, Energy Systems Integration Division, Alcatel-Lucent.
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y the time you read this, Everything Everywhere will have become the fi rst UK mobile telecoms operator to
some of the technical properties of LTE and their potential uses in the Smart Grid. Every new generation of mobile technology
brings increases in speed, reliability and capac- ity, generally with reduced costs of deployment. LTE is no exception but it brings a lot more besides.
Better performance LTE uses multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology that puts several antennas – rather than one – on a single tower or termi- nal, which signifi cantly improves both capacity and coverage. Orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) means LTE is better than previous technologies at maximizing the use of available spectrum. As such, LTE is able to deliver tens of Mbit/s. T e bottom line for utilities: the Smart Grid
depends on information, and lots of it. With LTE, voluminous amounts of information can be exchanged from anywhere, instantly, in many ways.
Simplifi ed, IP-based architecture LTE is based on simplifi ed all-IP (Internet Pro- tocol) architecture. T is simplifi cation means fewer network elements which results in lower costs as well as greater effi ciency and lower latency. All-IP means LTE is also extremely scalable and fl exible, which makes it easy to connect a signifi cant number of devices and have redundant routeing between nodes for increased reliability. T e bottom line for utilities: the Smart Grid
contains potentially millions of diff erent de- vices at diff erent levels in the distribution net- work. LTE can be a single network supporting more simultaneous communications carrying more data from more devices. In other words, every device on a Smart Grid can be supported as well as most communication applications used in a utility’s operations.
Low latency T anks to the simplifi ed architecture and the optimized framing of the LTE air interface, LTE delivers very low latency (10–15 ms). T is
is very important when it comes to voice com- munications or video streaming and for appli- cations that require very fast access setup. T e bottom line for utilities: with LTE, the
ability to serve extremely demanding applica- tions will open the door to many functions that are not possible with current networks. For ex- ample, a utility may opt to use video-enabled drones to carry out routine inspections on transmission lines.
Security LTE makes use of some of the most advanced security mechanisms available. Air interface se- curity protects against attacks originating in the wireless domain while network security pro- tects against security attacks generated in the wired parts of the network. Mutual authentica- tion between the network and devices ensures system integrity. T e bottom line for utilities: the Smart Grid
is perceived as opening up utility companies to potential cyber-attacks. T e level of security in LTE, combined with its low latency, means LTE can be considered for mission-critical (e.g. replacing Tetra) as well as non-mission critical (e.g. meter-reading) applications.
Quality of service, prioritization and pre-emption With its all-IP architecture the LTE network relies on sophisticated QoS controls to serve the diff erent types of applications with diff er- entiated and guaranteed QoS and to ensure appropriate prioritization/pre-emption in the event of congestion. QoS functions are spread
Alcatel-Lucent’s revolutionary LightRadio puts the power of LTE in a cube
LAND mobile September 2012
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