PGE Systemy S.A., a company building the Mission Critical LTE 450 MHz network for Polish power sector, has signed recently contracts purchasing the installations supplied in parallel by Ericsson and Nokia used for LTE pre-implementation tests dedicated to Mission Critical services in the 450MHz band. Moreover, the 120 sets of tests were constituting communications prove of concept for SCADA automation systems and remote read out of Intelligent Meters. Now, the installations will become a sandbox for further developments.

Under the contracts signed by Ericsson and Nokia, each of them is going to launch separately a radio access network, a core network with a management system, and a critical communication server with dispatch software for PGE Systemy. The systems are accompanied by mobile applications for users’ terminals. Under the agreement, the contractors will both provide system maintenance and support services for the next twelve months.

“The solutions provided by Nokia and Ericsson will allow PGE Systemy further research and development in the area of the MC LTE450 including voice, video and data. The sandboxes will allow not only for checking various options of the planned network but also for testing devices, solutions and software proposed by the network infrastructure suppliers as well as third parties. The  deployment of the MC LTE450 in the country will be much smoother this way” – said Andrzej Piotrowski, vice-president of PGE Systemy.

Step by step “the plan for the construction of a nationwide dedicated communications system in the energy sector is accelerating. All tests and analyses, performed so far, confirm that MC LTE 450 technology is the right direction for the energy sector. We are also sure that at a time when requirements of energy grid radically grow then the upgrade to 5G technologies in RAN and CORE will be straightforward and natural” – adds Piotrowski.

The MC LTE450 promises a way of increasing capabilities of the Polish grid to integrate more renewables and meet this way the Green Deal objectives. The challenges of balancing supply and demand of energy on a local level are inevitable in disperse energy systems. Thus, a ubiquitous communications system is a prerequisite for transition of the grid into a digital era.