LoRa Alliance® and OMS-Group Optimize Smart Utilities Transmissions with OMS Over LoRaWAN®
Integration and standardization will reduce cost and complexity for utilities increasing ROI; proof of concept to be demonstrated at Enlit 2021
Fremont, California and Cologne, Germany – Nov. 9, 2021 – The LoRa Alliance® and OMS-Group e. V., today announced a new liaison to standardize smart metering IoT applications through the combined use of OMS and LoRaWAN® standards. In a joint task force, the organizations have specified a standard use of the Open Metering System (OMS) metering language over LoRaWAN. The new specification reduces the complexity and cost of integration for utilities, which in turn increases their return on investment (ROI). A joint demo of OMS over LoRaWAN will be shown at Enlit, taking place Nov. 29 to Dec. 2, 2021, in Milan.
“Standardization is absolutely essential to achieving massive scale for the IoT,” said Donna Moore, CEO and chairwoman of the LoRa Alliance. “Given the large scale of their deployments, gas, water and electric utilities will achieve improved business value from implementing standards-backed technologies like LoRaWAN and OMS due to the interoperability and ease of deployment provided. LoRaWAN is already proven for networking smart utility applications, from metering, to leak detection, automated shut-off, and more. Using LoRaWAN with OMS is a game-changer for the European utility market that makes deployments simpler and more cost-effective, while ensuring the interoperability of legacy meters, to maximize ROI.”
“Utilities have long relied on the Open Metering System Specification to integrate all media––gas, heat and water, including submetering––into one system,” said Andreas Bolder, speaker of the board of OMS-Group. “Combining the benefits of the OMS language with those of LoRaWAN networking offers further standardization of smart metering applications, increasing utilities’ readiness for IoT.”
The new joint LoRa Alliance and OMS specification enables a standard M-Bus transport over LoRaWAN, and a joint proof of concept (PoC) has validated the interoperability on all levels, from data platform down to different OMS end devices connected via the same or different LoRaWAN networks. At Enlit, a joint demo of the OMS over LoRaWAN PoC will be featured in the LoRa Alliance and OMS-Group’s respective stands. The specification and PoC were developed jointly by members of both organizations. The specification and PoC were developed jointly by members of both organizations, and includes representation from Birdz, Diehl Metering, Elvaco, Kamstrup, Mainlink, Minol-ZENNER-Group, and Semtech.
Birdz, the IoT subsidiary of Veolia Environment Group, has been a sponsor and primary contributor to the liaison’s effort. Its CEO Xavier Mathieu stated, "This liaison and the OMS over LoRaWAN technical solution are a major achievement to bring highly efficient, standard and interoperable smart metering solutions to utilities and municipalities."
In OMS over LoRaWAN®, OMS Serves as the Application Layer within a Standard LoRaWAN Network Architecture
Using OMS over LoRaWAN for standard OMS applications allows utility companies that already use OMS to benefit from LoRaWAN’s advantages, including low power consumption, long range and deep indoor penetration–ideal for meters that are often underground, or in concrete or other hard-to-reach areas–and firmware updates over the air (FUOTA). The new specification also ensures interoperability with legacy OMS-based systems, frees utilities from the costly burden of deploying and maintaining radio network infrastructure by using existing LoRaWAN third-party networks. Together, this extends the systems’ useful life to achieve significant cost savings.
To learn more about and see the OMS over LoRaWAN PoC, please visit the organizations in their respective booths at Enlit to view the implementation demo:
- LoRa Alliance – Stand 8.G90
- OMS-Group – Stand 8.B50
- Semtech – StandD40
Find more information on the organizations’ websites: lora-alliance.org and oms-group.org.
About LoRa Alliance
The LoRa Alliance® is an open, nonprofit association that has become one of the largest and fastest-growing alliances in the technology sector since its inception in 2015. Its members closely collaborate and share expertise to develop and promote the LoRaWAN® standard, which is the de facto global standard for secure, carrier-grade IoT LPWAN connectivity. LoRaWAN has the technical flexibility to address a broad range of IoT applications, both fixed and mobile, and a robust LoRaWAN Certification program to guarantee that devices perform as specified. The LoRaWAN standard has been deployed by more than 155 major mobile network operators globally, and connectivity is available in more than 170 countries, with continual expansion. More information: lora-alliance.org
LoRa Alliance® and LoRaWAN® are registered trademarks.
About OMS-Group
OMS – The communication standard for smart devices.
The OMS-Group is a 68-member strong interest group of companies from eighteen countries worldwide. The founding organizations are figawa and KNX Association. With the Open Metering System (OMS) specification, the industry group has developed an open, multi-vendor, interoperable communication standard for electricity, gas, thermal energy, and water meters, as well as submetering. OMS is based on the EN 13757-x standard, has been included into the EU mandate M/441 for the standardization of smart metering systems, and is compatible with the widely-used KNX standard (ISO / IEC 14543-3 = EN 50090).
Because of its special focus on low energy consumption, OMS-Specifications are extremely fit for battery powered devices, like smart gas, water and thermal energy-meters as well as sensors. In addition, it is very well usable for powered systems and electricity metering.
OMS enables guaranteed plug & play interoperability by a certification system. Millions of meters/devices have been successfully deployed in Europe and around the globe! The OMS-Specifications can be freely downloaded from the website: http://www.oms-group.org.
With your membership you can participate in working groups and gain influence on future OMS-Specifications and applications.
Visit us in booth 8.B50 on ENLIT in Milano and meet our experts.
MEDIA CONTACT:
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Sandy Fewkes, LoRa Alliance PR
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E-Mail: office(at)oms-group.eu