Unlock more value for the future
Utilities companies around the world are responding to the need for smarter ways to control the flow of energy. To thrive, utility companies must harness the power and possibility of connectivity to build more reliable, secure, and flexible digital infrastructures. At Ericsson we are dedicated to working with utilities and ecosystem partners to solve real-world challenges. Through collaboration with our customers and partners, we can develop and try new use cases using real-world equipment, measuring improvements in security, resilience and efficiency.
What is Ericsson’s Utilities Innovation Center?
The Utilities Innovation Center is an end-to-end lab dedicated to power, gas and water utilities located in Plano, Texas.
The Utilities Innovation Center is a sandbox to enable innovation. Simulating the real-world utility network, from power generation, transmission, distribution and substations to the end-users, the lab showcases how the cellular network can support an ecosystem of industry-specific use cases and devices. The lab has a private LTE network deployed, with radios on Band 106 and Band 48 (CBRS).
In addition, in our Device and Network testing lab, we perform device testing and validation for 4G and 5G devices and applications, ensuring devices are certified for operation on the network and pass performance, cybersecurity and compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards. Once devices are certified in this lab, they are installed in the Utilities Innovation Center to demonstrate specific use cases.
Demos
Use cases
Ericsson is your partner for the grid modernization journey, from current use cases through opportunities for innovation enabled by LTE, 5G, 6G and beyond. Some of these include:
Private LTE network
The Utilities Innovation Center is designed as an operational environment where our customers and device partners can come test their utilities devices for compatibility, security and reliability on a real cellular network. Built on Ericsson's private LTE solution, industry partners can see the actual performance of their devices on our network and pioneer new use cases with confidence.
Ecosystem collaboration
Utilities need to be able to access and analyze real-time data from sensors and devices across the grid. To accomplish that, utilities, Ericsson, and our device technology partners are all working together in evolving utilities’ connectivity infrastructure. Ericsson private LTE creates wide-ranging, umbrella coverage across the entire utilities ecosystem, from power generation, transmission, and distribution, to metering and asset management, so we work closely with leading OEMs to test their devices on our cellular network. Partners whose equipment and technology have been tested on Ericsson private LTE at the Utilities Innovation Center include: