UK’s Smart DCC Installs Cellular Network to Support Smart Meter Innovation

UK smart grid management firm Smart DCC’s new Manchester office, Brabazon House, is now host to its own in-building advanced cellular network to enable testing of the latest smart energy technologies and initiatives at Smart DCC’s new site.
 
The connectivity will be relied on by a total of 19 labs, which will host 2,400 smart meter testing banks, making it one of the largest radio frequency test facilities in Europe. Every month, 70 million messages are transmitted across the national smart meter network and that monitored big data helps identify individual smart installations and pinpoint any issues as they arise in real-time.
 
The new network will provide the infrastructure to support innovation and growth for Smart DCC and its continued efforts in developing smart meter, home automation and electric vehicle projects. The cellular network capability will allow experimentation and testing to be done in a secure and robust sandbox environment.
 
Brabazon House is a critical central hub for Smart DCC’s expanding operations. Its facilities will house machine learning projects and will have the ability to facilitate development of electric vehicles and other critical technologies driven by a growing consumer market, as well as Government-led initiatives that will prove vital in meeting the UK’s net-zero carbon target.
 
Marc Ibanez, managing director, at Vilicom said, “Our partnership with Smart DCC reinforces our commitment as a business to support other like-minded companies in achieving a common goal of making low-carbon energy accessible and sustainable. This is the critical test bed for smart meter operations in the UK and we are proud to have contributed to such a forward-thinking project.
 
“The work we have conducted with Smart DCC has ensured delivery of a safe, secure and resilient network for their new hub of operations. We have given Smart DCC the tools to be able to test, understand and innovate new services for their customers at a critical time of great demand and drive for further sustainable, eco-friendly initiatives.”