berr wan comms assessment 0.1

8/14/2019 BERR WAN Comms Assessment 0.1

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Smart MeteringWAN Communications Assessment

Author(s) SimonHarrison


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WANCommunicationsAssessment Version0_1

Table of ContentsTableofContents.............................................................................................2Figures.............................................................................................................2 DocumentControl............................................................................................3 1.1 VersionHistory..................................................................................3 1.2 RelatedDocuments...........................................................................31.3 IntellectualPropertyRightsandCopyright.........................................31.4 Disclaimer..........................................................................................3

2 ExecutiveSummaryandIntroduction.......................................................42.1 ExecutiveSummary...........................................................................42.2 Purpose.............................................................................................4 2.3 Scope................................................................................................4 2.4 Objective............................................................................................5

3 Glossary&Conventions...........................................................................7 4 MarketModels..........................................................................................7 4.1 CompetitiveModel.............................................................................74.2 CentralisationofCommunicationsInfrastructure...............................74.3 CentralisationofallSmartMeteringServices....................................8

5 Assessment..............................................................................................9 5.1 PhysicalMediaAssessment............................................................115.2 OverallRequirements......................................................................195.3 MarketModel&PhysicalMedia.......................................................23

FiguresFigure1:SmartMeteringScope......................................................................5


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Document Control1.1 Version HistoryVersion Date Author Description

0_1 28thJuly2008 SimonHarrison

Initialdraft

1.2 Related DocumentsDocumentTitle Version Author Date

SmartMeteringOperationalFramework,proposalsandoptions

V1 ERASRSMProject

August2007

WANCommunicationsRequirementsDefinition

V1 ERASRSMProjectforBERR

July2008

WANCommunicationsOptionsDefinition

V1 ERASRSMProjectforBERR

July2008

1.3 Intellectual Property Rights and CopyrightAllrightsincludingcopyrightinthisdocumentortheinformationcontainedinitareownedbytheEnergyRetailAssociationanditsmembers.Allcopyright

andothernoticescontainedintheoriginalmaterialmustberetainedonanycopythatyoumake.Allotheruseisprohibited.AllotherrightsoftheEnergyRetailAssociationanditsmembersarereserved.

1.4 DisclaimerThisdocumentpresentsanassessmentofWANcommunicationsoptionsandapproaches.Wehaveusedreasonableendeavourstoensuretheaccuracyof

thecontentsofthedocumentbutoffernowarranties(expressorimplied)inrespectofitsaccuracyorthattheproposalsoroptionswillwork.Totheextentpermittedbylaw,theEnergyRetailAssociationanditsmembersdonotacceptliabilityforanylosswhichmayarisefromrelianceuponinformationcontainedinthisdocument.Thisdocumentispresentedforinformationpurposes only and none of the information, proposals and options presented


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2 Executive Summary and Introduction2.1 Executive SummaryThisdocumentisaproductoftheWideAreaNetwork(WAN)Communicationsworkstream,partofthewiderprojectundertakenbyBERRtoconsidersmartmetering.ItpresentsassessmentsoftheWANCommunicationsphysicalmediaoptionsintermsoftheWANCommunicationsrequirementsandagainstthehighlevelmarketmodelproposals.ItdoesnotrecommendanyoftheindividualWANCommunicationsovertheothers,andisintendedtoprovidedetailofadvantagesandissuestoinformtheongoingconsiderationofmarketmodeloptions.

[Pleasenotethattheinitialdeliveryofthisdocumentisnotintendedtorepresentafinalandcompletereport.ItrequiresrevisionsandupdatesfromenergyandcommunicationsexpertsaspartofaprocesstosupportongoingconsiderationsofWANcommunicationsandsmartmetering].

2.2 PurposeThisdocumentpresentsanumberofassessmentmatrices.ThesecomparethesuitabilityandcompatibilityoftheWANcommunicationssolutionsoptionswithWANcommunicationsrequirementsandmarketmodelproposals.ItdoesnotevaluateorconcludethatanyparticularcombinationofsolutiontechnologyandmarketmodelisthemostappropriatetosupportsmartmeteringinBritain.WANcommunicationsisoneofanumberoftechnicalandeconomicfactorsthatwillinfluenceoverallmarketmodelconsiderations.

2.3 ScopeThescopeofthisdocumentislimitedtotherequirementfortwowaycommunicationsbetweensmartgasandelectricitymetersandauthorisedparties.


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WANCommsProvision

Meter Information

LocalComms

MeteringSystem

WAN Comms

Billing System

CRM Systems

Demand Response

Settlements

Registration

Invoicing

Finance Systems

Local Device Systems

EnterpriseApplications

DataGatewayFunction

Authorised Party>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Figure1:SmartMeteringScopeThisdocumentdoesnotaddresstheupstreamcommunicationsoptionsi.e.beyondthedatagatewayfunction,asthese,toalargeextent,willbedependantuponthemarketmodelapproaches.Thereforeitconsidersonlyhowsmartmeteringdatamovesbetweenthemetersandthedatatransportlayer.

WANCommunicationsOptionsforsmartmeteringarelikelytoflexovertimeastechnologyandcommercialarrangementsadapttowhatisessentiallyanewGBmarketformeteringcommunications.Thisdocumentdoesnotconsiderthecommercialorcontractingarrangementsorimplicationsfortheprovisionofsmartmeteringcommunicationsservices.BERRhasstatedthattheselectionofcommunicationsforsmartmeteringwill

bearesponsibilityofthemarketinwhateverguisethattakes.

2.4 ObjectiveTheobjectivesoftheWANCommunicationsworkstreamaspartofthewiderBERRactivitieshavebeenagreedasfollows:


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A key objective of this workstream is to bring all stakeholders to a common level ofunderstanding.


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3 Glossary & ConventionsForadetailedexplanationoftheconventionsandassumptionsusedinthepreparationofthisdocument,andthedefinedterms,pleaseseeeithertheDefinitionsofOptionsorRequirementsdocumentsreferencedin1.2above.

4 Market ModelsThefollowinghighleveldescriptionsofmarketmodelsaretakenfromaBERR

paperseekingviewsonthesuitabilityofmarketmodels.Itisusedhereasthemostuptodateandcurrentdefinitionofthemarketmodeloptions.Thesedescriptionsanddefinitionsareexpectedtoberefinedandupdatedastheevaluationprocessprogressesthiswillincludetheassumptions.

4.1 Competitive ModelThismodelwouldbeaminimalevolutionoftheexistingmarket.Supplierswouldcontinuetoberesponsibleforcontractingforservicesto:

Providemeters

Installmeters

MaintainmetersInadditioneachsupplierwouldberesponsibleforcontractingforservicesto

providecommunicationsservicestosupportdatatransfertoandfrommeters.Assumptions:

Industryprocessesandcodesofpractice(particularlyrelatingtodataflows)wouldneedtobeamended.

Anagreementoninteroperabilitywouldberequiredtoensureallsupplierscouldcommunicatewithallmeterstooperatetherequired

functionalityandtominimisefuturestranding;and Givenconstraintsonthelifeofthebatteryrequiredforthegasmeter

therewouldonlybeonecommslinktothehomeforbothmeters.

4.2 Centralisation of Communications


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NB:Aconvincingcasewouldneedtobemadeforprovisionofthisserviceonanexclusivecentralised(regional/national)basis.Thiswouldneedtobe

sufficienttoaddresspotentialUKandEUcompetitionlawconcerns.However,thecompetitionassessmentcannotbecompleteduntilthemodelissufficientlydefinedandtheanalysisofcostsandbenefitsinrelationtoothermodelscomplete.Assumptions:

Theagreementtosupportthecentralisedcommunicationsservicewouldincludesufficientspecificationstoensureinteroperability.

Therewouldneedtobeanappropriateprocessforidentifyingtheprovider(s)ofthecentralisedcommunicationsservices.

Theselectionprocess/governance/regulatorystructureswouldneedtoprovidesufficientcompetitionand/orregulatoryoversighttoensurethattherisktoconsumersfromexcessivecostswereminimised.

Therewouldonlybeonecommunicationslinktothehomeforbothmeters.

Thecommunicationsserviceswouldalsobemadeavailableto3rdpartiestoensureequalaccesstothehome,tomaintaincompetitioninsmarthomeservices.

Industryprocessesandcodesofpractice(particularlyrelatingtodataflows)wouldneedtobeamended.

Anagreementoninteroperabilitywouldberequiredtoensureallsupplierscouldcommunicatewithallmeterstooperatetherequired

functionalityandtominimisefuturestranding;and 3rdparties(e.g.networkbusinesses)wouldbeabletoaccess

meteringdataviathecentralcommunicationsprovider(s).

4.3 Centralisation of all Smart Metering ServicesUnderthisoptionallsmartmeteringserviceswouldbeprovidedona

centralisedexclusive(nationalorregional)basis.Thiswouldinclude:

Provisionofmeters;

Installationofmeters;

Maintenanceofmeters;and

Communications infrastructure & data carriage


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contractsortoensurethatre-tenderingcouldtakeplaceatdifferentpointsforthedifferentservices(e.g.itmightbedesirabletore-tender

meterprovision,maintenanceandinstallationmoreoftenthancommsprovision)orbecauseitwasdesirabletocontractforsomeservicesonanationalandsomeonaregionalbasis.

NBAconvincingcasewouldneedtobemadeforprovisionofthisserviceonanexclusivecentralised(regional/national)basis.ThiswouldneedtobesufficienttoaddresspotentialUKandEUcompetitionlawconcerns.However,thecompetitionassessmentcannotbecompleteduntilthemodelis

sufficientlydefinedandtheanalysisofcostsandbenefitsinrelationtoothermodelscomplete.Assumptions:

Therewouldneedtobeanappropriateprocessforidentifyingtheprovider(s)ofthecentralisedservices.

Theselectionprocess/governance/regulatorystructureswouldneedtoprovidesufficientcompetitionand/orregulatoryoversighttoensurethattherisktoconsumersfromexcessivecostswereminimised.

Thecommunicationsserviceswouldalsobemadeavailableto3rdpartiestoensureequalaccesstothehome,tomaintaincompetitionintheseservices.

Underthismodelthecommunicationsdevicewouldbeincludedintheelectricitymeter.ThegasmeterwouldbelinkedtotheelectricitymeterusingthehomeareanetworkandusestheelectricitymetersWAN

connectiontocommunicatedatatothesupplier. Industryprocessesandcodesofpractice(particularlyrelatingtodataflows)wouldneedtobeamended.

A(moreminimal)agreementoninteroperabilitywouldberequired.

Thismodelwouldfacilitateastreet-by-streetrolloutandpotentiallyasinglevisitperhousehold(dependingonavailabilityofdualfuelinstallers).

3rdpartieswouldhaveaccesstometeringdataviathecentralprovider(s).

5 AssessmentThemaintablebelowusesamatrixformattoassess,wherepossible,eachofthe communications options against a range of criteria:


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Wheretherearedifferencesthatcouldariseasaresultofthemarketmodelused,thesearenoted

Boththephysicalmediaandthemarketmodele.g.itwouldbesimplertodeployaPLCinfrastructureinamarketwherecommunicationsarecentralised

Forreference,theWANCommunicationsOptionsbeingassessed:

Reference Physical MediaPLC PowerLineCarrier

TEL PSTN/PlainOldTelephoneSystemDSL BroadbandxDSL

CAB Cable

CEL Cellular

RF1 LowPowerRadio

LRR1 Licensed/PrivateFrequency

LRR2 WiMAX

LRR3 WiFI

Keytotableentries:

Symbol Represents

Meetsorcomplieswithrequirement

Doesnotmeetorcomplywithrequirement

Betterfit,morecompliantcomparedtootheroptions

Moreissues,lesscompliantcomparedtootheroptions

Nobetterorworsethanotheroptions

NA Notapplicable


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Page11of25 29-Jul-08

5.1 Physical Media AssessmentRef Requirement/Assessment Physical Media Option

PLC TEL DSL CAB CEL RF1 LRR1 LRR2 LRR3

WAN Communications RequirementsGeneralRequirements

WG1ProvideCarriagebetweenauthorisedpartiesandmeteringsystems

WG2ProvideCarriagebetweenauthorisedpartiesanddeviceslocaltometeringsystems1

WG3 AccessControlledCarriage

WG4 Interoperability 2 3 4

WG5 Utilityrobust5

WG6 Geographiccoverage WG7 Premisetypecoverage 6

1AllWANCommunicationsoptionswillprovidealinktoameteringsystem,thelinktolocaldeviceswillbeviaLocalCommunications2CurrentPLCofferingsaretypicallyproprietaryfromthemetertoahead-endsystem3WhilstaPSTNfixedlinecouldsupportinteroperablecommunicationsaswithothertelephonyoptions,inthecurrentmeteringenvironment

productsaregenerallyproprietary4Wi-Finetworksoperateusingarangeofradiotransceiversfromarangeofsiliconmanufacturers5Utilityrobustnesswilldependuponthedesignofthemeteringsystems,whichwillbeinaccordancewithrequirementsforutilityrobustness.Ifa

metercannotbeprovidedwithautilityrobustWANconnection,itwillnotoperateinthemarket.Thisrequirementisameteringsystemdesignchallenge,ratherthanaparticularfactorforindividualcommunicationsoptions6Somemeterlocationscellars,meterroomsetc.couldcauseissuesforallradiobasedphysicalmedia


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Ref Requirement/Assessment Physical Media OptionPLC TEL DSL CAB CEL RF1 LRR1 LRR2 LRR3

WG8 LongevityseeMET2below

WG9 GrowthofUse(scalabilityofdatatraffic) 7 8 9 WG10(WC5)

ReasonablecostReasonablecost

SupplierRequirements

WS2

(WC4,WN1)

intermittent2waycommunication

Consumer20-30minuteslatency?

Networks-??minuteslatency

WS3Thecommunicationssolution(s)willsupportaminimumstandardofservice.

10 11 12

WS4

Thecommunicationssolution(s)will

supportaprioritisedstandardofserviceforthecompletionofDataExchanges

13 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

7Themajorityofcurrentimplementationsarereasonablylimitedintermsofoverallcapacityandtheabilitytocopewithblockingi.e.when

multiplenodesareattemptingtocommunicate8Dial-upspeeds,whilstreasonablyhighforcurrentAMRapplications,arelowerthananumberoftheotherphysicalmediaunderconsideration

9Dependingontheparticularstandardadopted,andthecommercialarrangementstheremaybetrafficcapacityinthenetwork,butathowmuch

cost?10Dependingontheprotocolsinuse,PLCmayhaveissuessupportingminimumstandardsofserviceinbusytrafficperiods

11WiMAXwillprovideafixedcapacityofbandwidth,andifthisisbeingusedforotherpurposes,guaranteeingspaceformeteringwillbe

challenging12SimilartoWiMAX,Wi-Fiwillseebandwidthbeingusedforotherpurposes


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WS5 Avoidanceofsitevisits14 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

WS6 CommunicationsSecure

WS7Communicationsresistanttoinappropriateinterferencebyanypartyincludingthecustomer.15

16

WS8Thecommunicationssolutionsshallberesistanttovirusesandothermalicioussoftware.

17 18

WS9Thecommunicationssolution(s)willcomplywithScheduleIProtocolSpecification.19

NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

13Thephysicalmediaitselfwillnotdeliverprioritisation,itwillbeafeatureoftheserviceprocuredandwillbedeliveredusingnetworkmanagement

techniques14ThereliabilityofcommunicationswillbeafeaturecoveredbyanumberoffactorsonlyoneofwhichwillbetheMTBF(meantimebetween

failures)ofthephysicalhardwarewithinthemeteringsystemitself.Visitstoaddressissueswithdataconcentratorsorotherpartsofthenetworkwouldnotbeseenasanalogoustocurrentmeteringvisitstoconsumerpremises

15AsidefromPLC,alloptionsfeaturesomeweaknessescuttingofwiresorradiointerference16Communicationsusestheelectricitymains,soincludesnovulnerableexternalcomponentsoropportunityforfrequencyjamming

17PLCprotocolscurrentlytendtobeproprietaryandtransmittedoveramediumthatisnoteasilyintercepted

18Cellularcommunicationsarenotwhollysecure,butareprotectedbyexistingstandardsandprotocolsanduselicensedfrequenciestotransmit

19AlloftheoptionswillsupportarangeofprotocolsthecurrentIPrequirementisnativelysupportedbyDSL,CAB,WiFietc.Otherswillhave

specificsolutionsavailabletodeliverIPorIPequivalent


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WS10

Thecommunicationssolution(s)willcomplywithScheduleJDataExchange

FormatSpecification.20


WS11

Thecommunicationssolutionwillnotalter,corruptorpermanentlystoreany

dataittransports.21


WS12

Thecommunicationssolution(s)underreasonableusageprofiles,willnotcriticallyaffectthepowerconsumptionorbatterylifeofaMeteringSystem.seeENV2

WS13

Thecommunicationssolution(s)willbecapableofmeetingthedatatrafficrequirementsoftheOperational

Framework.LinkedtoWG922

ConsumerRequirements

20

Allofthephysicalmediaoptionswillsupportdatatransferinanyformatthecostandefficiencyfactorsofusingoneformatasopposedtoanotherwillvary.Aformatcarryingsignificantmessagingoverhead(suchasXML)maynotbeaseffectiveorpracticalifsentasanSMSmessage,asitmight,forinstance,usingWiFi21Noneofthephysicalmediathemselveswiresorradiowaveswillstoredata.Someupstreamcommunicationsfunctionsmayinclude

elementsofdatamanipulationorstorage22Thedatatrafficrequirementsremainun-defined.However,itisassumedthatthetrafficrequirementsforutility(and3rdparty)serviceswillbe

verylowcomparedtootherapplicationsusingthephysicalmedia(voice,internet,multimedia).


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WC1 Safe23 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NAWC2 Notinterferewithexistingnetworks 24 25 26 27

WC3 Minimaldisruption 28 29 30

WC4Latency31SeeWS2above

WC5Cost

SeeWG10above

NetworkRequirements

WN1 Latency-SeeWS2above

WN2 Broadcast32 33 34

23Itisassumedthatalloptionswillbesafe

24

Onlyifthemeterissharingalinewiththecustomerforotherpurposes25Willdependontheimpactofanumberofmeteringsystemsonthelocalbandwidthavailable

26Dependingonthetechnologyandfrequency,theremaybeissueswithapplicationsalreadyusingtheISMbands(microwaves,WiFi,video

sendersetc.)27ExistinguseofWi-Finetworksincloseproximitytoeachothershowsthatthereareinterferenceissues

28Assumesaphysicalwiredconnectiontothemeteringsystemwhichmayormaynotbeinaccordancewiththecustomerspreferences

29Assumesaphysicalwiredconnectiontothemeteringsystemwhichmayormaynotbeinaccordancewiththecustomerspreferences

30Someradiosolutions,particularlyforawkwardmeterlocations,couldrequiretheuseofanantennaaspartofthemeteringsystem

31TheparticularQoSperformancewilldependontheserviceprocured,asopposedtothephysicalmedia

32Assumednottobeanissueforhigherbandwidthphysicalmedia

33ThereareknowntobepracticalissueswithbroadcastingtocurrentPLCimplementations,oftenrequiringcarefulschedulingandnetwork

management34DependingonthestandardinusesendingmassSMSmessageswillpresentadifferentnetworkchallengefromsendingaGPRSupdate


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WN3 Prioritisation-SeeWS4 InstallerRequirements

WI1 Repeatableprocesses 35 36 37 38 39 WI2 Avoidanceofvisits-SeeWS5

Additional Assessment ElementsInfrastructureReadiness

INF1 Availabilityofphysicalinfrastructuretoday 40

41

42

43

44

INF2Effortrequiredtoimplementphysicalinfrastructure

45 NA 46 47 NA 35AsPLCcommunicationsarehardwiredtotheelectricitysupply,therewillbelittleornoconfigurationatcustomersitepairingwillallbedoneat

theconcentratororviathehead-endsystem

36Allwiredtelephonysolutionscouldinvolvelinkingtelephonywiringtometeringsystemduringtheinitialsmartmeterinstallationvisitatapremises37Theinfrastructureispre-existinganddoesnotrequiredevicestobepairedtonetworksbyaninstaller

38Wirelessoptions(exceptCELandLRR1)willrequiresomepairingefforttoensurethatthemeteringsystemcanconnecttothecorrect

concentrator/network/antenna39Traditionallytherewillbenopairingofametertoaprivatefrequencytransmitter,asthereislittlechanceofthecommunicationbeingpaired

incorrectly40Electricitywiresarepresent,upstreamequipmentintheformofconcentratorsarenot

41Althoughafixedlineisavailabletoover90%ofdomesticpremises,utilityrobustconnectionmayrequireadditionalequipment

42Coverageisnotnational

43Infrastructuredoesnotexisttoday

44Potentialnetworks(andlicensedfrequencies)existtoday,buttherearenospecificGBimplementations,andthiscouldrequiretheinstallationof

equipmentatradiotowers.


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TechnicalCapability

TC1

Effortrequiredtodeliversmartmeteringserviceinlinewithrequirementsi.e.arenewnetworkmanagementoperationsnecessary?

48 49

MeteringContext

MET1Simpleupgradepathe.g.modularconstruction,useofexternalcommunicationsmodule50

51

52

MET2Matchwithmeteringassetlifeexpectationsi.e.availableforatleast15

53 54 5545Assumessupportfromdistributionnetworks,oruseofturnkeytechnologythatdoesnotrequireaccesstosubstations

46Wouldneedtofollowbroadbandrollouttoachievenational/nearnationalcoverage

47Willbedrivenby21CNandexpansionofexistingVirgininfrastructure

48Willrequirenewservicesandserviceproviders49Willdependonstandardbeingused,buttheremaybesomerequirementforspecifictrafficmanagementformeteringmessagesonlower

bandwidthsolutions50Largelydependentonmeterdesigniffutureflexibilityisrequired,thenmeterswillbedesignedwiththisinminditislikelytoattractahigher

initialcostthananall-in-onesolution51Thetransceiver/transpondercomponentwithinanelectricitymeterisnotexpectedtobesimpletochangewithoutreplacingtheentiremeter

52Theuseofaspecificfrequencywillrequirespecificradiotechnologytechnologyhardwarewithinthemeteringsystems

53Althougholdercellulartechnologye.g.GSMmayhavealimitedshelflife,thephysicalhardwareandstandardsshouldbereasonably

backwardsandforwardscompatible54Anumberoflowpowerradiosolutionsareneworpending,howeverthisisanareaofrapidtechnologyturnover,andobsolescencerepresentsa

tangiblerisk55WiFistandardshaveevolvedsignificantlyoverrecentyears,andareexpectedtocontinuetodosowhichmayseesupportfortodayssolution

diminishingassmartmeteringassetsgrowolder


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yearsandmore

MET3Nativesupportfordualfuel&separatefuelsupply56

Commercial/Contractual

CC1CurrentGBofferingforsmartmetering,oranalogousdatatransferservices?

57

CC2ChoiceofWANcommunicationsinfrastructureserviceprovidersinGB

58

CC3SupportforongoingenergysupplierchoiceinWANcommunicationsserviceprovision

59 60 61 62 63 64 65

Obligations&Governance

OB1Existinglicensedcommunicationsserviceprovision

66 67 68

56Gasmetersandwiresarenotcompatibleserviceshowever,theuseofacommunicationsboxinconjunctionwithagasmeter(assumingalowpowerradiolinktothecommunicationsbox)wouldmitigatetheissueforwiredoptions57MostcurrentI&CAMRservicesusedfixedline,mostsecuredviaCallerLineIdentificationprotocols

58Useofaprivatelicensedfrequencynecessarilyassumesasingleserviceprovider

59Withinageographicalarea,therewilltypicallybeonlyonePLCserviceprovider.Multipleprovidersofferingbandwidthisconceivablebutunlikely

60Purchasingbandwidthfromanetworkoperatorisestablishedpracticeinthecommunicationsmarket

61

Purchasingbandwidthfromanetworkoperatorisestablishedpracticeinthecommunicationsmarket62Purchasingbandwidthfromanetworkoperatorisestablishedpracticeinthecommunicationsmarket

63CurrentissueswithfixedphysicalSIM>Networkareunderstoodtobesurmountabletechnicallyandcommercially

64WhilsttheremaybemultipleLowPowerRadioinfrastructuresaccessibletometers,evenatthesamefrequency,theinvestmentinthe

equipmentislikelytobedrivenbysmartmetering65Notapplicableifsmartmeteringistouseaprivate/licensedradioband


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OB2 Effortrequiredtoestablishlicensedserviceprovisionifnotalreadypresent NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

Environmental

ENV1Powerconsumptionofphysicalmediainfrastructure

ENV2Powerconsumptionofphysicalmediahardwarewithinmeteringsystem

69

ENV3Sustainabilityofinfrastructure(i.e.newgreenercomponentstoreplaceexisting,orre-usingexistinginfrastructure)

Customer

C1Supportforaddedvalueservices(telecare,security-lowbandwidth,lowlatencyetc.)

C2Supportforsharedservicedelivery

(internet,voice,entertainment)

5.2 Overall RequirementsWhilsttherelativeinclusivityofthecentralisedcommunicationsmodelinparticularremainsunderconsideration,itisassumedthatthisisastraightforwardprovisionofacommoncommunicationsphysicalservicetosmartmeteringsystemseitheronanationalorregionalbasis.

66Thereareexistingutilityapplicationsofcommunicationsusingpowerlinecarrier

67ThemajorityofLowPowerRadiosolutionsavailableforsmartmeteringuseinternationallyoperateintheunlicensedISMbands

68WiMAXlicencesareunderstoodtobepending

69Cablemodemsassumedtohavecomparativelyhighenergyconsumption


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Thecentralisedsmartmeteringserviceisassumedtofeaturethesamecommonphysicalcommunicationsservice,withthepotentialadditionofdatagateway/networkmanagement/meterdatamanagementfunctions.

Ref RequirementMarket Model Option

Competitive CentralisedCommunications

CentralisedSmartMetering

WG3 AccessControlledCarriage Competitionincommunicationprovisionwouldrequiresomeformofdefinedstandardfor

accesscontroltoensureserviceprovisionissuitablyinteroperable

Whilsttheremaybearequirementforaninteroperableaccesscontrolstandardina

centralisedcommunicationsmodelifthecentralfunctionischargedwithdeliveringsecurecommunications,it

shouldbeabletocompletethisserviceasitseesfitinlinewiththe

requirements

AsforCentralisedCommunications

WS4 Thecommunicationssolution(s)willsupportaprioritisedstandardofserviceforthecompletionofDataExchanges

Acompetitivemarketshouldseethe

developmentofservicestomeetavarietyofrequirementsfromdifferentusersofthe

system

Acentralisedapproachwillallowforastructuredapproachtoprioritisation,

butcouldresultinrestrictingindividualserviceprovision


WS5 Avoidanceofsitevisits Wherefaultsoccur,establishingwhoshouldvisittoresolvethemwill

beafeatureofcontractualterms

betweenpartiesservicelevelswillnotbe

Centralisedcommunicationsshouldestablishasinglepointof

contactregimeforhandlingcommunicationsissues.Identifyingfaults(andresponsibleparties)

Itisanticipatedthatanysitevisitserviceswouldformpartofthebundledprovisionofmeteringand

communications


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Competitive Centralised

Communications

CentralisedSmart

Meteringstandardised maybechallengingfora

serviceusingseverallayersofserviceproviders

(asislikely)

WS6/7/8

SecureCommunications Acompetitivemarketforcommunicationscouldintroduceinherentrisk,

asstandardswillvary.However,amarketcould

alsoencourageinnovationand

differentiationofsecureserviceofferings

Dependingonthebreadthofacentralisedservice,communications

securitycouldbedeliveredtoaveryhighstandardinlinewithrequirements


WS11 Thecommunicationssolutionwillnotalter,corruptorpermanentlystoreany

dataittransports.

Willbearequirementofanyserviceprocuredit

mayvarybysolutionoption





WS13 Thecommunicationssolution(s)willbecapableofmeetingthedatatrafficrequirementsoftheOperationalFramework.

Competitivecontractingforcommunicationsshouldensurethatthemarketmeetsany

anticipatedgrowthinuseofasmartmetering

communicationsservice

Ensuringsufficientbandwidthtomeetgrowthinusewillformakeypartoftheestablishmentofacentralisedservice

Asforcentralisedcommunications

WN2 Broadcast Wouldbesupportedbyindividual

communicationsproviders,butthere

wouldbenoguarantees

Dependingonthescopeanddefinitionofthe

communicationsservice,theremaybebroadcasttimewindows,butsimple

Centralmanagementallowsforsimplerschedulingand

prioritisationofmass-messagingforany


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Communications

CentralisedSmart

MeteringofprotectingthenetworkfromseveralAuthorisedPartiesissuingbroadcast

messages

provisionoftheconnectionwouldnotincludemessagescheduling

numberofauthorisedparties

TC1 Effortrequiredtodeliversmartmeteringserviceinlinewithrequirementsi.e.arenewnetworkmanagementoperations

necessary?

Anumberofphysicalmediahavenear-completephysical

infrastructures,otherscouldrequireinvestmentbycompetingserviceproviderswhichmayresultinthedominanceofexistingservicesover

newoptions

Theremaybeexistingpartiesinapositionto

meettheserviceprovision

requirementsforsmartmetering,howevertherecouldstillbeconsiderableefforttoestablishtheparticularservice


MET1 Simpleupgradepathe.g.modular

construction,useofexternalcommunicationsmodule

Serviceprovidersshould

competetodeliverbettertechnologyandkeenerpricingofservicestogain

business.Similarbusinessmodels

discountequipmentcostagainstterm-basedservicecontracts.

Procurementofa

centralisedserviceforafixedcontracttermcouldseethecommunicationstechnologyinmeters

beingfixedforthetermofthatcontract.

Procurementofa

centralisedserviceforafixedcontracttermcouldseethecommunicationstechnologyinmeters

beingfixedforthetermofthatcontract.Therewillbedisincentivestoprovidemeteringassetsthatcan

beupgradedtoacompetitorsserviceatcontractcompletion.

C1 Supportforaddedvalueservices(telecare,security-lowbandwidth,lowlatencyetc.)

One-to-onearrangementsfor

communicationsservicescouldlimitthescopeto

Centralisedprovisionwillsupportanyrequirementsforaddedvalueservicesthatarespecifiedwhen



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Communications

CentralisedSmart

Meteringincludeaddedvalueservices,andcouldcreatecontractualchallengeswheretheprimarycustomer

(energysupplier)canchange

establishingtheprovision

C2 Supportforsharedservicedelivery(internet,voice,entertainment) Amarketcoulddeveloptodeliversuchservices,buttherewillbelittleeconomicincentiveonenergysupplierstocontractfortheinitialserviceoverhead

Procurementofcommunicationsservicecouldincludesharedservicedelivery,orbebaseduponsharedservicedelivery


5.3 Market Model & Physical Media

Requirement/Assessment Market Model

Physical Media OptionPLC TEL DSL CAB CEL RF1 LRR1 LRR2 LRR3

WG4:

Interoperability

Competitive 70 71

CentralisedCommunications 72

73

70Allofthehigherbandwidthmodelsareassumedtosupportinternetandotherestablishedstandards

71Unlessaparticularsolution/frequencyisusedforallmeteringsystems,thencompetitiveserviceprovisionoflowpowerRFsolutionscouldresult

inavarietyofstandardsbeingimplemented(e.g.ZigbeeSmartEnergyandM-BusDLMSarenotinteroperable)


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WG5:UtilityRobust

Competitive 74 75



WG9:Growthof

Use(scalabilityofdatatraffic)

Competitive NA

77

78

79


72InteroperabilityforPLCinacentralisedmodelcouldbedeliveredatthedatatransportgatewayallowingseveraltypesofproprietarysolutionto

befittedinmeteringsystems,butwithacentralheadendprovidinganinteroperableinterfacetoAuthorisedParties73AcentralisedserviceshouldresultinasinglelowpowerRFsolutionbeingprocured

74Allwiredtelephonyoptionswillincludeawireasapointofvulnerabilityandcouldwellincludecommunicationshardwareoutsideofthesealed

meteritself75CompetitiveserviceprovisionoflowpowerRFcouldseearangeofapproachesfordataconcentrators,someofwhichmaynotbeasrobustas

otheroptions76PLCinparticularplacesnorequirementsonexternalequipmentinacustomerspremises

77Allhighbandwidthoptionsareassumedtohavesufficientcapacitytomeetgrowthofusemeteringcommunicationsarenotanticipatedtogrow

toapointwherethecapacityofthesesolutionswouldbeaffected78ItisnotclearhowRFsolutionscouldco-existatalocallevel,butincreasingthenumbersofconcentratorstomeetgrowthinusewouldbe

supportedbyacompetitivemarketasitwouldbeforacentralisedmodel79Thefrequencyofanyprivatelicencewilldeterminethedatatransmissionspeeds,andthescopeforadditionalbandwidthcouldberestrictedby

thelicenceitself80Growthofuseforacentralisedprovisioncouldbedeliveredeasilyfromatechnicalperspectiveestablishingwhowouldbedrivingtheincrease

inuseandsubsequentcostsmayprovechallenging.Higherusecouldresultineconomiesofscale


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INF2:EffortRequiredtoImplementInfrastructure

Competitive 81 82 83 NA 84CentralisedCommunications

CentralisedSmartMetering CC1:CurrentGB

offeringforsmartmetering,oranalogousdata

transfer

services?85

Competitive NA NA CentralisedCommunications NA NA CentralisedSmartMetering NA NA

81Assumedthatimpositionofdifferentcarriersignalsoncommonwireswithinastreet/substationfootprintwouldproveverychallenging,therefore

competitionbetweenPLCprovidersisthoughttobedifficulttoimplement82Considerableeffortrequiredtoprovidenationalcoverage

83Cellularinfrastructureinplacetoday,andcouldsupportallmarketmodels

84CompetingpublicWi-Finetworkscurrentlyco-existandareexpandinghowever,thereisnonationalnetworkinfrastructure

85Wherethereareexistingmeteringoranalogousservicesusingthephysicalmedia,underwhichmarketmodel(orclosestmatch)isthiscurrently

done?Centralcommunications=connectiononly.CentralSmartMetering=connection+serviceoffering.