Telit Cinterion is working with Netinium, a Dutch pioneer in vendor-agnostic head-end systems (HESs) for smart metering and smart grid applications.

The integration of Telit’s Next eSIM provisioning system with Netinium’s smart energy platform can reduce the cost, complexity and time for deploying and managing smart meters throughout their lifecycle, including network changes via remote eSIM profile swaps.

Grid operators, energy retailers and third-party service providers use an HES to manage their smart meters, gateways, data-concentrators and other smart devices remotely. The HES facilitates tasks such as meter reading and pushing firmware updates to meter modules. HES vendors have yet to offer comprehensive SIM profile and subscription management, which traditionally required the utility to use a separate platform provided by a SIM vendor or an MVNO.

By integrating Telit Cinterion’s Next eSIM provisioning system, Netinium’s smart energy platform is said to be the world’s first HES to provide SIM profile and subscription management capabilities. By making eSIM management an integral part of device lifecycle management and edge device configuration, this GSMA SGP.32-compliant opution eliminates several longstanding problems for utilities:

• Dual potential points of failure resulting from a separate HES and SIM management platform
• Disparate protocols and message formats
• Task synchronisation across multiple complex automation systems and services
• Different types of access to third-party platforms, interfaces, APIs and so on
• Complex security structure with a large attack surface
• Longer test and validation time to build the architecture

The integration simplifies management for utility employees and their IT staff by consolidating smart meter and eSIM control into one platform. This streamlines eSIM changes, making them comparable to routine meter configuration adjustments. For example, eSIM changes can now be scheduled and fully automated, or be part of the automated meter installation or meter replacement processes.

“ESIM technology and the GSMA SGP.32 spec fundamentally change how smart meters are provisioned, managed and secured,” said Jose Sanchez, senior director at Telit Cinterion. “Our partnership with Netinium takes those foundational elements to the next level by layering on a comprehensive suite of capabilities that directly address the top challenges to smart grid deployment and operation.”  

Ferry Cserep, CEO of Netinium, added: “Innovators seek out other innovators, which makes Telit Cinterion an ideal partner. Telit Cinterion’s Next eSIM provisioning service offers the ultimate in flexibility throughout the smart meter lifecycle. Integrating it into our HES provides our customers with industry-leading simplicity and security.”

For more information about Telit Cinterion products for the smart energy market, visit www.telit.com/smart-energy-utilities.

Netinium (www.netinium.com) provides smart meter and smart energy products that replace vendor-proprietary HESs and consolidate multiple systems into one unified operations platform. The Netinium platform is a multi-vendor HES that helps utilities achieve higher data collection success rates, and reduce IT complexity and vendor lock-in risks. It provides full automation of all meter operations and security processes, and has been successfully used in rollouts with millions of meters.

Telit Cinterion (www.telit.com) is an end-to-end IoT enabler providing complete offerings that reduce time to market and costs, delivering custom designed, ready for market connected devices in addition to maintaining a portfolio of enterprise-grade wireless communication and positioning modules, cellular MVNO connectivity plans and management services, edge-cloud software and data orchestration, and IoT and industrial IoT platforms.