CUCULUS SELECTED FOR LARGEST BELGIAN SMART METERING DEPLOYMENT

EANDIS AND INFRAX AWARD AMM SYSTEM CONTRACT FOR ROLL-OUT OF 61,000 METERS

Cuculus GmbH, a developer of smart metering and home control solutions, has been selected to supply its ZONOS platform to Eandis and Infrax’s for their roll-out of 61,000 meters in Belgium.

Eandis is a Belgium based operator of grids for the supply of electricity and natural gas. It is headquartered in Melle and has more than 4,000 employees. Infrax is an operator of utility infrastructure including gas piping, electricity and cable networks and the sewer systems.

Eandis and Infrax undertook a joint tender process for the procurement of Advanced Metering Management (“AMM”) systems. The competitive tender relates to a Phase Two pilot that is expected to lead to a roll-out across the networks of both companies. The pilot will see Eandis roll-out upto 51,000 meters with Infrax installing 10,000 smart meters. Eandis has 4 million meters and Infrax has one million meters already installed in the Belgian market.

Under the terms of the contract Cuculus will implement its ZONOS platform with Advanced Metering Management (AMM) functionality. The Eandis installation is based on its patented Power Line Communication concept in combination with among others broadband and GPRS communication, while Infrax’ installation will communicate over Infrax’s cable network in combination with GPRS.

The ZONOS platform is a comprehensive Advanced Metering Management (AMM) and Meter Data Management (MDM) system with attractive features that makes it easy for utilities to implement and operate smart metering while also providing the functionality to set-up and provide attractive end-customer services based on smart metering data. The system is open and works within the existing system infrastructure of a utility.

Both installations will manage and communicate with multi utility controllers as well as meters from various manufacturers. Advanced functionality, such as remote meter firmware upgrades is included in the agreement. Meter readings and communication will take place at 15 minute intervals (Gasmeters: 1 hour). Scalability, security and interoperability were key factors in the tender process. Eandis and Infrax also require that all systems are fully scalable in order that their chosen partner is able to roll-out across their networks, subject to a successful Phase Two pilot.

Kjartan Skaugvoll, Cuculus CEO, commented: “We are delighted to have won this contract. Eandis and Infrax have conducted a comprehensive tender where we have been able to demonstrate the capabilities and advantages of our platform. We see the award as a major step outside our home market and are pleased to have been given the opportunity to work with Eandis and Infrax on their innovative smart metering deployment.”

Cuculus helps utilities deliver Smart Metering by connecting electric, gas and water meters to ZONOS, a robust IT platform that can be integrated with utilities existing back-end systems. The Company has also developed the infrastructure and products required to support the management of home appliances (“Home Control”) for utilities and Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The ZONOS platform is open and vendor independent thus making it possible to work with the meters and communication structure of choice. The system is scalable and can be implemented as a managed service or running in a company’s system environment. This creates the opportunity for simple and cost effective to roll out of services. The integration of smart metering and home control furthermore provides opportunities for demand management and other advanced services. The Company was spun out from Ilmenau University of Technology and IDEO Laboratories GmbH in 2007.

Cuculus GmbH
Ehrenbergstraße 11
98693 Ilmenau
Germany

This release was published on openPR.