Regional power utility Delmarva Power and Light has received permission from the Federal Communications Commission to test a private LTE network using 900 MHz spectrum from Anterix.
DPL is one of six utility subsidiaries of parent company Exelon; those subsidiaries deliver electricity and natural gas to about 10 million customers in the MidAtlantic region of the U.S. It plans to conduct technical testing of the use of Band Class 8 equipment in Anterix’s 3-megahertz-by-3-megahertz spectrum for “electric distribution and gas system sensors and controls, substation backhaul and monitoring, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) or AMI backhaul and control of customer-owned distributed energy inverters”, with specific applications potentially including distribution automation, SCADA, remote engineering access, Wi-Fi, push-to-talk, voice and workforce mobility applications.
“The testing will … be a ‘proof of concept’ opportunity to determine whether LTE data speeds and capacity can support the important fixed field-area functions and applications that are currently conducted on narrowband systems or on legacy copper-based circuits that may be de-constructed,” the company said in its filing with the FCC.
Delmarva Power outlined plans to deploy six antennas each at five site locations in Maryland for the testing. It was granted permission for a two-year testing period through October 1, 2024.
Anterix CEO Rob Schwartz recently said that the company has multiple, multi-state utilities close to making leasing arrangements with Anterix for the use of its 900 MHz spectrum, as well as around 60 customers in its pipeline. In January of this year, U.S. power utility Ameren announced plans to deploy a private LTE network in the 900 MHz band for customers in Missouri and Illinois as the first private leasee of Anterix’s spectrum.
Anterix also recently announced a partnership with system integrator Future Technologies which enables the company’s 900 MHz holdings to be used in Future Technologies’ private cellular network projects. Peter Cappiello, CEO of Future Technologies, said that Anterix’s spectrum could “help meet the skyrocketing demand we are seeing for private LTE and 5G capabilities. There are immediate opportunities to use that spectrum to serve our Fortune 50, 100, 1,000, and 5,000 customers, and we look forward to integrating it into the solutions we offer across sectors and across the country.”
