https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • IWCE 2022 Winter Showcase
    • IWCE 2023 Pre-event Guide
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookie Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • IWCE 2023 Pre-event Guide
    • IWCE 2022 Winter Showcase
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

Call Center/Command


TXU, Current team to create BPL “smart grid”

TXU, Current team to create BPL “smart grid”

TXU Electric Delivery and broadband-over-powerline (BPL) vendor Current Communications today announced an agreement to transform TXU Electric Delivery’s network into a broadband-enabled “smart grid” designed to provide customers more reliable electricity and a last-mile broadband alternative
  • Written by Urgent Communications Administrator
  • 19th December 2005

TXU Electric Delivery and broadband-over-powerline (BPL) vendor Current Communications today announced an agreement to transform TXU Electric Delivery’s network into a broadband-enabled “smart grid” designed to provide customers more reliable electricity and a last-mile broadband alternative.

TXU Electric Delivery will pay Current $150 million over 10 years to design, build and operate a BPL network covering most of the wholesale power company’s service area in the north Texas area. Current will oversee broadband offerings to residential and business customers, as well as “smart grid” applications such as automated meter reading and remote monitoring for TXU Electric Delivery.

“It’s not just about broadband, which tends to have the sex appeal,” said Current Chairman and co-founder Bill Berkman. “This is about the smart grid.”

Indeed, TXU Electric Delivery will not market consumer data services but will actively market the smart-grid applications to its electric retail customers, TXU Electric Delivery Chairman and CEO Tom Baker said.

“The smart grid is going to enable us to have the grid itself to talk back to us on a regular basis and tell us where its problems are–where it has outages, give us data from meters, tell us what voltage fluctuations may exist, and direct us where to do maintenance, so we don’t have to go out and find it in a truck,” Baker said. “It will let us get our reliability up to 21st century standards, which are much more extensive than they were even just 15 or 20 years ago.”

Current will offer consumer broadband services as a both a direct retailer and as a wholesaler to ISPs looking for high-speed connections to customers, said Jay Birnbaum, Current’s vice president and general counsel. When asked if big-name ISPs like AOL, MSN and Google would be possible customers, Birnbaum said they fit the mold but emphasized no deals have been cut yet.

“There are companies out there that don’t have a broadband solution and need one,” Birnbaum said. “On the other hand, we’re a company with a broadband solution that doesn’t have the brand recognition of some of these other companies.”

Birnbaum did note that Google is an investor in Current, something TXU Electric Delivery also will be after making an undisclosed equity investment in the BPL vendor. Current’s controlling shareholder will continue to Liberty Associated Partners, which includes Liberty Media.

Current’s largest BPL deployment to date is with Cinergy in Cincinnati, where the broadband network passes 50,000 homes and businesses. The TXU deployment is expected to dwarf that effort, passing more than 2 million households and businesses.

Berkman noted that Current’s BPL solution in Cincinnati has not generated a single complaint from the amateur-radio community, which has been outspoken in its concern about possible interference created by some BPL technologies. Current’s technology does not use the frequencies utilized by ham-radio operators, so interference is not an issue, Berkman said.

Tags: Call Center/Command content Enterprise Tower & Site Wireless Networks

Most Recent


  • Verizon officials highlight role of 5G tech for responders during IWCE keynote
    LAS VEGAS—As the public-safety sector continues to expand its use of data-intensive applications, developments in 5G can provide the low-latency, high-bandwidth connectivity to meet these needs, Verizon officials said yesterday during a keynote address at IWCE 2023. Bryan Schromsky, managing partner for Verizon’s public-sector unit, noted that the carrier plans to complete its deployment of […]
  • Rescue 42 launches miniCRD deployable for FirstNet
    Rescue 42 yesterday announced the launch of its miniCRD (mCRD) for FirstNet, which provides much of the functionality of the company’s Compact Rapid Deployable at a much lower cost.and in an even more portable form factor—two ruggedized cases that are about the size of checked luggage. Rescue 42 CEO Tim O’Connell said the mCRD (pictured […]
  • IWCE 2023
    Safer Buildings Coalition conducts annual event at IWCE 2023
    A common theme ran through the Safer Buildings Coalition’s annual meeting Monday night during IWCE 2023 at the Las Vegas Convention Center—strength through collaboration. “The perception is that the challenge is ‘out there,’ and someday, maybe the challenge will come here,” said Billy Bob Brown Jr., executive assistant director for emergency communications within the Cybersecurity […]
  • TXU, Current team to create BPL “smart grid”
    IWCE speakers debate state of public-safety interoperability
    LAS VEGAS—Achieving comprehensive interoperability for mission-critical communications used by U.S. public-safety agencies continues to be an elusive goal, according to speakers addressing the topic during a Monday session at the IWCE 2023 event in Las Vegas. Some view interoperability as the technical ability for one person to communicate with another, no matter what device or […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

To leave a comment login with your Urgent Comms account:

Log in with your Urgent Comms account

Or alternatively provide your name, email address below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Private wireless networks in the US start going public
  • Microsoft patches 6 zero-day vulnerabilities under active attack
  • IoT connectivity spending climbs as COVID-19 cases decline
  • The battle over connected cars drags on

Commentary


Updated: How ‘sidelink’ peer-to-peer communications can enhance public-safety operations

  • 1
27th February 2023

NG911 needed to secure our communities and nation

24th February 2023

How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient

26th January 2023
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

Gallery: The last day of IWCE 2023 dlvr.it/SllQKJ

30th March 2023
UrgentComm

Video: Opening of the Expo Hall on day three of IWCE 2023 dlvr.it/SlkyNy

30th March 2023
UrgentComm

Verizon officials highlight role of 5G tech for responders during IWCE keynote dlvr.it/Slkh9n

30th March 2023
UrgentComm

Day three of IWCE 2023 features the opening of the Expo Hall dlvr.it/Slhgvr

30th March 2023
UrgentComm

Gallery: The Expo Hall opens on day three of IWCE 2023 dlvr.it/SlhfPT

29th March 2023
UrgentComm

Rescue 42 launches miniCRD deployable for FirstNet dlvr.it/SlgdtY

29th March 2023
UrgentComm

RT @IWCEexpo: 📽️ More sights from Day 2 at #IWCE23. It's been a fantastic start so far... Thanks to you! Tomorrow is another awesome spea…

29th March 2023
UrgentComm

RT @IWCEexpo: Ildefonso De La Cruz Morales, Principal Analyst-Critical Communications @OmdiaHQ takes the stage and kicks off tonight’s Keyn…

29th March 2023

Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.