EDMI and Sierra Wireless were awarded the GSMA Global Mobile Award for Best Mobile Innovation for Utilities at the 2011 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The award, judged by an independent panel of industry experts, recognised EDMI’s EWM100 modem for smart metering applications, which uses Sierra Wireless Airprime embedded modules to provide robust cellular communications.
“Cellular connectivity offers a compelling option for smart metering communications infrastructures, enabling energy suppliers to radically reduce installation costs and implementation times,” said Graeme Lees, chief operating officer at EDMI. “We are very proud to be recognised among such an impressive field of candidates, and the award is a great inspiration for our team to continue our drive toward innovation.”
The EWM100 is an industrial-grade machine-to-machine communications product for smart metering applications. It provides robust GSM and GPRS connectivity between a utility’s operations centre and individual power meters in the field. With secure, real-time communications, utilities can manage grids more efficiently, remotely control services and support in-home energy management applications that empower consumers to change their consumption behaviour and lower their costs.
The jury commented:
“A fantastic product concentrating on solving the issues presented to utilities in gathering meter data using wireless technology.”
As energy suppliers worldwide expand their investments in smart metering technologies, products such as the EWM100 provide a platform to enhance energy distribution and optimise legacy grids. By enabling end-to-end, two-way communications down to the individual power meter, utilities can enhance electricity generation and distribution, reduce peak consumption by shifting demand loads and, ultimately, create a greener power grid that serves more customers with less energy supply.
Didier Dutronc, senior vice president and general manager for M2M embedded products at Sierra Wireless, said: “Smart metering is the future of the energy sector, and EDMI is at the cutting edge of this fast-growing market. We are thrilled to have contributed to this solution, and to have played a role in demonstrating how cellular communications can help transform an industry.”
