Itron and Silver Spring Networks Announce Partnership

LIBERTY LAKE, WA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Itron Inc. and Silver Spring Networks announced that the two companies have executed an agreement to integrate Itron's OpenWay Advanced Metering platform with Silver Spring's IP-based Smart Energy Networking solution. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies have addressed the technical, functional, and solution delivery issues required to deliver a complete, fully supported Advanced Metering and Meter Data Management Solution with end-to-end IP connectivity.

"Consistent with the open, standards-based architecture of OpenWay, the integration with Silver Spring Networks provides our customers with an option for large-scale deployment of full IP communications that still leverages the benefits of the OpenWay advanced metering system," said Philip Mezey, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Itron North America. "We are very pleased to offer this capability to our customers, and it is yet another example of the flexible, open-architecture design of OpenWay."

"This relationship is exciting for our industry. Combining the capabilities of Itron Advanced Metering Solutions with the open and scalable IP infrastructure of Silver Spring Networks sets a new level of performance for utilities looking for practical Smart Grid networking across their territory," said Scott Lang, President and Chief Executive Officer of Silver Spring Networks. "This relationship is driven by strong customer interest, and is in line with our strategy to offer a broad variety of flexible solutions to utilities."

Itron's OpenWay advanced meters combine open standards with advanced functionality, including ANSI C12.22-based standards compliance, interval data collection, time-of-use metering, load limiting remote disconnect, outage and meter temper detection, remote firmware updates, as well as Zigbee-based home area network connectivity. Silver Spring's Smart Energy Networking provides complete high-bandwidth IP-networking to meters and other smart grid devices, such as Distribution Automation, Demand Response, Distributed Generation and more, all with the most proven networking technologies available.

Product integration is underway, with commercial shipments expected in late 2008.

About Itron
Itron Inc. is a leading technology provider to the global energy and water industries. Itron Inc. consists of Itron in North America and Actaris outside of North America. Our company is the world's leading provider of metering, data collection and utility software solutions, with nearly 8,000 utilities worldwide relying on our technology to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Our products include electricity, gas and water meters, data collection and communication systems, including automated meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI); meter data management and related software applications; as well as project management, installation, and consulting services.

About Silver Spring Networks
Silver Spring Networks creates the critical networking infrastructure for the Smart Grid, known as a Smart Energy Network. Based on the Internet Protocol (IP) suite, it addresses the challenges of running multiple applications and devices on a common networking infrastructure using multiple transport technologies, dramatically improving efficiency, lowering costs and ensuring the reliable delivery of services. Silver Spring Networks was named a Technology Pioneer at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and was recent recipient of GoingGreen and Brilliant Innovation Awards in 2007.