Context
With the increasing need to conserve water and with the effects of climate change, there is an increasing need for smart water meter deployments for water utilities. These have a long life of more than 15 years in the field with no external power and, for a particular utility, may be deployed in multiple countries.
The cellular technology used for the connectivity is low data rate and low power NB-IoT. This must operate effectively for a minimum period of ten years on a single battery charge.
Problem
There is a gap between the normal contract period for cellular connectivity and the field life of a smart meter. As a result, there may be a need to change network profiles in the field. On the other hand, downloading the first profile remotely uses battery power that many utilities would like to avoid.
Solution with Thales Adaptive Connect (TAC)
To avoid downloading the first profile remotely, TAC allows for provisioning it in the device at the factory – termed In Factory Profile Provisioning (IFPP). This enables the manufacture of a single SKU which can then be personalised at the very last stage with the initial network operator profile that is the right one for the site where the meter will be deployed. When installed, the smart meters are activated and use the network profile already installed. If a subsequent change of profile is required as a result of a new connectivity contract negotiation, this can be managed remotely through TAC.
Article By: Thales Group