Deveritec GmbH and Wirepas have announced the availability of a new reference Network Interface Card (NIC) developed by Deveritec for the Wirepas 5G Mesh implementation of the non-cellular 5G standard NR+.
Tailored to the needs of advanced smart electricity metering, the NIC, based on the Nordic Semiconductor nRF9151 chip, is now available to any smart meter company aiming to accelerate their Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) development using the NR+ standard.
This collaboration aims to kick-start the deployment of NR+ technology in smart meters across Europe.
Wirepas partners have already shipped around 10 million devices using Wirepas mesh software technology, a vast majority deployed in smart meters. These meters are equipped with radios specifically designed to perform optimally in regions such as Northern Europe and India. Now, NR+—a component of the 5G family of standards —introduces an option to leverage ultraresilient RF mesh networking in geographical areas where unlicensed frequency spectrums are not favorable for deploying large-scale RF networks. RF mesh is gaining in popularity globally and NR+ is now the only high-performing solution with a spectrum availability in Europe.
The collaboration provides a starting point for any utility or AMI solution provider to integrate long-range RF as a future-proof and reliable option to meet the growing demand for higher data rates in shorter timeframes. Deveritec offers customizable NIC layouts to fit any meter design, supporting proof-of-concept and pilot phases, with options for cost-optimized large-scale manufacturing down the line. Wirepas provides a planning tool and a network management system, enabling meter vendors, metering operators, and system integrators to transition seamlessly and quickly from piloting and testing to solution development and scaling.
Also Read: Netinium and Wirepas announce partnership for smart metering solutions (October 17, 2024)