As the first step, legacy meters will be turned into smart grid devices in all municipalities of the Jennersdorf District in South Burgenland. Secondly, power consumption measurement will be converted into modern, digital energy metering across the entire province of Burgenland. The rollout of mobile-based smart meters will be carried out in parallel with the rollout of smart meters monitored via the power grid and will gradually take place from the South to the North of the region. If required, the currently available telecommunications infrastructure also allows for the flexible replacement of legacy meters with smart meters for selected customer groups outside of the respective rollout areas as well.

Along with the smart meter rollout in single households, mobile-based data transmission is at the core of the smart metering value creation of the company. "Österreichzähler", which was presented to the general public as Europe's first 4G/LTE smart meter solution in March 2015, is based on globally established mobile communications standards. Furthermore, this proven smart metering technology has been designed to comply with the specific needs of the Austrian market.

Close collaboration between experts from the telecommunications and energy industry guarantees the smooth interplay between hardware, firmware and the communications network, enabling secure and reliable data transmissions, while keeping smart meters' own energy consumption at a low level. By using the existing network infrastructure, power grid operators bear no investment risks and profit from optimised operating costs. In addition to being future-proof, the LTE/4G technology also offers legal stability as the company has been granted corresponding long-term mobile licenses.

"A total of seven energy suppliers already rely on our smart metering portfolio and I'm therefore particularly delighted to welcome Netz Burgenland as our new partner. Smart metering provides the basis for efficient energy management and is one of the numerous possible applications of the M2M technology. As Austria's leading telecommunications provider, we use our core competence to support our energy partners in managing the switch over to state-of-the-art energy metering and to promote customers' smart approach to energy consumption," commented Bernd Liebscher, Managing Director Telekom Austria Group M2M, on the latest developments in modern energy management.

"In addition to the attractive price/performance ratio, which we determined within the framework of an EU-wide tendering process among the best offers, we have been impressed by Telekom Austria Group M2M's in-depth know-how in the area of mobile-based data transmission," said Peter Sinowatz, Managing Director Netz Burgenland Strom GmbH. "The use of existing mobile networks in combination with power-line data transmission allows for the rapid and cost-efficient implementation of our smart meter project."

A further advantage provided by smart energy management and thanks to the use of M2M solutions is greater billing accuracy and energy consumption transparency. As meter reading takes place remotely, the presence of energy consumers during meter reading operations is no longer required. In order to be able to monitor their energy consumption, customers are granted access to detailed energy consumption information and explanations via an online portal. In addition, based on their individual, protected consumption data, they can also take advantage of energy consulting and optimisation services provided by experts online.

About Smart Metering
Smart metering, the deployment of smart electric meters (electronic devices that automatically record electric energy consumption at regular intervals) as a basis for efficient energy management is one of the numerous possible applications of M2M technology. Smart meters do not only record energy consumption and production levels in a combined manner but also provide a wide array of additional information like for instance the measurement of consumption intervals. In 2011 and 2012, the legal framework for a countrywide smart grid rollout was put in place in Austria. As a result, 95% of all existing electric meters will have to be replaced by so-called smart meters by the end of 2019 with the ultimate goal of generating higher transparency and promoting energy savings. In light of the planned smart meter introduction, electricity providers are currently preparing for the challenges that lie ahead. The necessary investments in smart metering systems, data transmission, installation and operating services as well as in a central IT infrastructure have to be made in a future-proof and cost-effective manner with low risk and a rapid implementation time frame. As a dependable partner of the domestic energy supply companies, Telekom Austria Group M2M provides high-security transmission networks for data communication between the single smart meters, while managing the introduction and round-the-clock operation of the necessary infrastructure. Telekom Austria Group M2M offers end-to-end smart metering solutions based on a multi-vendor portfolio and a wide array of proven communication technologies (GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, LTE, Mesh Radio).

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