Can Utilities Afford to Risk an IP Backbone Network?

RAD Data Communications recently hosted a utilities press day at the Light Restaurant and Bar in London. A range of utilities and telecoms journalists attended the event to discuss the theme ‘Can utilities afford to risk an IP backbone network’.

 

Steve Boultwood, and Jonathan Inbar of RAD Data communications and Peter Clapton of RFL Communications presented a compelling business case for utilities carriers upgrading to an IP network, bringing considerable cost savings and increased network efficiency.

 

“ As has been well publicised in trade and even mainstream publications, BT intends to fully close down its PSTN (public switched telephone network) by 2009 and move consumers onto a more cost-effective IP (internet Protocol) and MPLS (multi-protocol label switching) platform” quotes Ken Wieland, Editor of Telecommunications International. coming soon

 

Peter White, Managing Director of Rethink IT, also reiterates the move to IP-based networks, however he recognises the potential problems that this may place on utilities

 

“if a pure IP core network is being considered at any utility, it will have to face the problem of how to interface these systems with the modern IP world.”  click here for the full article

 

Part of RAD’s presentation was devoted to the cost effective migration strategy, TDMoIP (Time Division Multiplexing over IP), which allows carriers to experience the benefits of IP whilst utilising existing legacy equipment, significantly reducing the capex investment and risk involved in upgrading to an IP network.

 

“Power utilities have purchased SCADA systems on the understanding they would last between 10-20 years”, comments Steve Boutlwood. “Our view is that because there is lack of IP-based SCADA systems available and that they have already invested heavily in legacy systems, TDM over IP will help smooth their transition to IP. They will still be able to take advantage of IP’s greater cost-efficiencies.”  Click here for a Utility Week Profile of Steve Boultwood

 

With the switch from an SDH Network to an IP network, Telecommunication synchronisation becomes an issue. As Peter White Describes

 

“The worries are that some packets will get lost on route or arrive in the wrong order or at the wrong rate. An instruction to power down an electricity transmission or re-route millions of gallons of water in holding lakes is not the type of message that can just wait until that lost packet gets resent”. click here for the full article

 

RAD’s IP Mux handles much of the required recording of packets that come in the wrong order, running a 300 millisecond buffer that can prevent data jitter when it is placed back into E1 mode and where a dropped packet is unavoidable, pausing long enough to get the message timing back, once it is back on the synchronous network.

 

Peter Clapton, Managing Director of RFL Communications stressed the importance of two of the most critical applications for utilities – Teleprotection and Differential Relay Protection.

 

“For Teleprotection to work effectively, telecom propagation delays should be no more than 8ms. But Teleprotection is the simplest form of protection. The most demanding one [from the network’s point of view] is Differential Relaying.”  coming soon

 

RAD also presented a range of case studies to each of the journalists, including Hong Kong Electric, where it has implemented failsafe and a SCADA connectivity between substations and a German electricity and gas utility, which needed more bandwidth to its tele-control applications. Click here to access a range of RAD Utility case studies

For further information on IP utilisation or migration in the utilities industry, please contact:

Steve Boultwood, Business Development Manager – RAD UK

Jonathan Inbar, International Business Development Manager – RAD Israel