According to BT, the envisaged solution will create a network specifically for the smart metering program and use Arqiva’s radio spectrum and radio infrastructure, with BT providing its expertise in delivering national IT and telecommunications projects and Detica providing information and infrastructure security services.
Olivia Garfield, strategy director of BT, said: “Smart meters will use telecommunications to deliver important environmental benefits and so BT is determined to be at the heart of the project. It is vital that any solution is designed for ubiquitous coverage of homes and is thoroughly secure and resilient.
“We believe that long range radio is the only technology to offer nationwide coverage and we will release more detail in a series of events in September.”
Due to cover 28 million homes and small business properties by 2020 or sooner, the smart metering initiative is designed to reduce energy costs and lower UK’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2.6 million tonnes per year when the rollout is complete.
