Machine-to-machine (M2M) communication is becoming a potentially very attractive revenue stream for telecom carriers. One of the first and most promising M2M applications is “Smart Grid”, a comprehensive vision for improving the reliability, efficiency and security of the power system.
The grid becomes “smart” when the conventional electric grid is augmented with telecommunications infrastructure, data management, automation and control technologies. Many of the elements of a smart grid implementation are already available, including smart meters, automated monitoring systems and power management systems.
What has been needed is a communication technology that can make the Smart Grid not only possible, but profitable.
Wimax is now emerging as that technology. This white paper provides a general introduction to the smart grid market, a description of the business case, and a blueprint that Wimax carriers can use to capture their share of the new ARPU that M2M will begin to generate in the very near future.