Cellnet Technology, Inc. and Datamatic, Ltd. announced the signing of an agreement to work together to develop and marker a commercial and industrial (C&I) automatic meter reading (AMR) solution for the electric utility industry. The agreement outlines how the companies will work together to combine the Cellnet wireless peer,UtiliNet mesh network technology with Datamatic CommSTAR MDx data collection software in a solution specifically designed for electric utility C&I customers.
Cellnet and Datamatic are developing, under the terms of the agreement, an interface between the UtiliNet network and the CommSTAR C&I data collection software which will enable utility companies to use the CommSTAR system to remotely read C&I electric meters over the UtiliNet wireless network.
"We believe that the combination of the UtiliNet mesh network technology and the Datamatic CommSTAR MDx software will provide the utility industry with the best C&I AMR system available on the market today," said Mike Zito, Callnet President and CEO. The UtiliNet system is field proven wireless solution that allows utilities to begin their AMR deployment for its largest customers and at the same time create a network that can be fully utilized for residential AMR and distribution automation applications in the future.
Datamatic and CommSTAR MDx can remotely read C&I meters over a wide variety of communications infrastructures. This allows cost effective collection of mission critical data for billing, forecasting, load research and other operational functions.
"CommSTAR MDx supports both multi-meter and multi-network systems," said Datamatic President and CEO Ken Kercher. This alliance will allow electric utilities to take advantage of the many innovative features of the CommSTAR MDx data collection system through the highly reliable UtiliNet private wireless network. The market has been seeking new choices; teaming with Cellnet is a significant expansion of our strategy to provide a state of the art alternative in C&I data collection and analysis.
CommSTAR MDx is a true 32–bit client server based application that provides validation, graphics, reporting and analysis tools. CommSTAR MDx can be used with all major brands of meters and supports the use of landline telephone, cellular, two-way pager and private networks for meter communications. These options allow the user to take advantage of the most cost effective and reliable communications available.
The two companies are also exploring additional market opportunities including these and other products within each company portfolio.
Source: Datamatic Energy Systems and Cellnet
