Verizon has teamed up with Honeywell to help utilities speed up and simplify the deployment of new communication-enabled, intelligent sensors and controls for the smart electric grid.
By integrating Verizon’s Managed Connectivity LTE solutions into Honeywell’s next-generation smart meters and other electric, gas, and water solutions, the two companies expect to drive energy savings by more quickly deploying smart electric grid technologies. The collaboration will provide utility companies with a highly scalable, fully managed, open computing and communications platform to help them manage operations efficiently and safely deliver new services to their customers.
The platform will include features important to utilities, including strong device identity and security, dynamic network authorization and access, remote device monitoring and management, modem firmware and application upgrades, real-time device diagnostics, and simplified supply-chain and data access.
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“Working with Honeywell on these next-generation solutions will enable the reliability and scalability of the communications needed to deliver smart metering, manage distributed energy resources, conserve water, and make the digital world work better for utilities and consumers,” said Jay Olearain, director, Enterprise Products and IoT at Verizon, in a statement.
The open secure edge computing and networking platform enables Honeywell to incorporate sophisticated technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning into its meters. The two companies are also working to explore how 5G can transform the utility industry through higher bandwidth, faster speeds and low latency, enabling advanced industrial automation and control solutions along with real-time analytics.
The availability of Verizon Managed Connectivity firmware within LTE network interface cards and LTE edge server routers accelerates the development of a new and innovative digital ecosystem of utility connected devices on LTE at scale.