Utility LTE: Selecting the right network for your utility

We are all familiar with devices like smartphones and Internet of Things (IoT) that use Long-Term Evolution (LTE) to enable their connectivity to commercial cellular networks around the world and provide plug-and-play connectivity for a multitude of end-user devices. LTE is a global standard for wireless broadband communications first proposed in 2004 and has been under continuous refinement ever since. That same standard is now available for utilities to use to build their own private networks. 

Utilities have had private, wireless networks for several decades. However, those networks were typically proprietary and purposely built for each application. This resulted in utilities installing, supporting, and maintaining multiple networks for every application that required communications.

Utilities now have access to a standard technology that supports multiple applications across one technology platform, offering an increase in capacity and speed from previous technologies and providing the path for commercial carriers across the globe. Its massive user base means it will be sustainable, giving utilities much needed and long overdue technology stability. 

Why LTE matters to utilities

LTE brings mainstream technology to the utility sector. It is a standard technology that is used in commercial markets and allows for forward and backward compatibility, has hundreds of manufacturers making thousands of different types of devices, can be used in many different spectrum bands, and is used globally. 

It allows for prioritization, which is important for mission-critical communications such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) applications. LTE also allows for communication to tens of thousands of devices, which is becoming increasingly important in the utility sector as utilities deploy grid modernization devices.

LTE, however, requires a significant amount of spectrum. Utilities have limited access to spectrum and not typically in the quantities needed for LTE deployments. Additionally, LTE has a core which may require managing and operating by a dedicated staff.

LTE is relatively low power, meaning the small coverage area from a tower to its connected end point devices requires many tower sites. These sites can be expensive to build over a wide geographic area, especially in rural areas where the density of end devices is low.

Considerations and potential use cases for each type of LTE network

• Private network: Utilities can benefit from all three types of LTE networks. Private networks are needed when utilities need mission critical communication that requires high availability, high reliability, low latency, and high security. A private LTE network requires a lease or purchase of spectrum and will have a higher capital expenditure.
• Commercial network: Commercial networks can be used when utility applications do not have these stringent requirements and can also be used to provide backup services on more critical applications. For some devices, it can provide a network to roam onto where it is not cost effective to build out a PLTE site.
• FirstNet: FirstNet has the ability to bridge the public/private divide and is a more robust network than a commercial network. It is not, however, a private network under the utility’s control, and applications have to be approved by FirstNet.
• Hybrid network: A hybrid network could also be considered. Applications such as SCADA and mission-critical voice have different requirements than AMI, surveillance video, and text and monitoring applications.

Conclusion 

LTE provides significant benefits for utilities, including the ability to use technology and devices used in the commercial market, providing a supported network and end devices that are more cost-effective for deploying the millions of devices needed for grid modernization. Utilities will need to consider their applications to determine the type of network or a combination of networks that will satisfy them; if they are heading toward a private LTE solution, gaining access to spectrum should be top of mind.