BT Group In Long Range Radio Pact For Smart Meter Rollout

19th Jul 2010 09:27

LONDON (Dow Jones)--U.K. telecoms firm BT Group PLC (BT) said Monday it is joining forces with Arqiva and Detica to offer a dedicated and secure long range radio communications solution for the Government's proposed smart metering initiative. MAIN FACTS: -Due to cover 28 million homes and small business properties by 2020 or sooner, this multi billion pound initiative is designed to reduce energy costs and lower Great Britain's carbon dioxide emissions by 2.6 million tons per year when the rollout is complete. -The envisaged solution will create a dedicated network specifically for the smart metering program and use Arqiva's radio spectrum and extensive radio infrastructure, with BT providing its expertise in delivering complex national IT and telecommunications projects and Detica providing robust information and infrastructure security services. -The partners will be supported by Sensus who specialize in enabling smart meters and smart grids and they will be providing their long range radio technology, FlexNetTM. Their technology is already widely proven in other countries and this experience will ensure that the companies benefit from lessons learnt elsewhere. -BT shares at 0820 GMT down 0.5 pence, or 0.4%, at 138.9 pence valuing the company at GBP10.77 billion. -By Ian Walker, Dow Jones Newswires; 44-20-7842-9296; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 19, 2010 04:27 ET (08:27 GMT)