Singtel has entered an agreement with global smart metering vendor EDMI Limited to develop a smart electric metering infrastructure for Singapore.
The partners have been testing the use of smart electric meters over Singtel's nationwide LTE Cat-M1 cellular IoT network to enable the wireless transmission of real-time meter readings to the power grid.
The companies plan to offer their IoT-powered smart metering solutions for residential, commercial and industrial areas as part of the Energy Market Authority's plan to roll out smart meters in the city in the second half of 2018.
Singtel is already providing M2M connectivity for EDMI's digital electric meters in Singapore.
“Giving electricity suppliers real-time data on electricity consumption allows them to optimize the distribution of electricity to certain areas and times of the day especially when demand is peaking,” commented Andrew Lim, business group managing director at Singtel’s Group Enterprise.
“The pairing of smart meters with our IoT network will give consumers more accurate meter readings and ultimately bring cost savings.”
Singtel launched its Cat-M1 IoT network in September and has been conducting trials with over 20 potential partners at its joint IoT innovation lab with Ericsson, which was established earlier in the year.