Sprint Supports Utility Smart Grid Initiatives across America

Aug. 26, 2009
For many years, Sprint has been supplying embedded CDMA and iDEN-based communication technologies for a variety of machine to machine (M2M) applications within the energy and water industries.

Sprint intends to play a key role as a telecommunications provider in helping to secure and strengthen our national electric grid.

“While our competition is just recognizing this space, Sprint has been supporting utility automation for years and most recently the Smart Grid ecosystem, as a key wireless and wireline provider,” says Paget Alves, president -- Business Markets Group, Sprint. “Sprint has been at the forefront of advanced telecommunications technologies, a strong proponent of interoperable communications, and provider of secure network connectivity and advanced IT solutions necessary for the operation of the electric Smart Grid today. As the wireless partner of choice for some of the largest utilities in the country, we continue to work with key industry partners to offer utilities innovative solutions to manage their critical communication infrastructure, deliver real-time data services and assist them in achieving optimal energy delivery and service quality.”

Sprint is now focused in supporting electric customers with their Smart Grid initiatives, including key applications such as Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), SCADA, Demand-Response (DR) Distribution Management System (DMS) and M2M applications. The underlying foundation of Smart Grid initiatives involves advanced communications, information technology, distributed sensing, and comprehensive data management overlayed to the electric grid to enhance reliability, optimize energy delivery, empower the consumer, and minimize the environmental impact of the industry.

As a commercial carrier operating multiple digital networks and delivering 2.5G, 3G, and now 4G mobile broadband services, Sprint is now playing a critical role in such utility initiatives. Additionally, through its Converged Network Services group, Sprint is able to design custom network solutions, extend coverage, and integrate complex network solutions to meet the demanding requirements ofcustomers for such mission-critical applications.

“With the recent focus of President Obama and his team on energy independence and Smart Grid initiatives, Sprint has become even more engaged with electric utilities as well as government agencies, industry alliances and key technology partners in this space,” said Alves. “To help facilitate the extensive ecosystem of smart devices, enable key application providers and provide secure IP based communications solutions, Sprint also offers the most comprehensive Open Device Initiative of any carrier, with the sole focus of certifying wireless devices quickly at minimal costs to our partners and meeting the needs of our utility customers in this critical time of transition.”

Combined with the expertise of Sprint’s Business Markets Group team and a large portfolio of differentiated solutions powered by Sprint’s Now Network, Sprint provides customized offerings for public and private utilities in the Smart Grid space.

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