Failure is not an option for utilities comms

The mission- and business-critical nature of utilities supply means that the consequences of failure are high.

Utility operators such as water, gas and electricity providers are under a great deal of pressure at present. Residential and commercial customers demand exceptional service and trust that their supply will promptly be restored in the event of network failure. The performance of a utility service can affect everyone, from metropolitan families right through to the farming community.

To meet these high expectations, rapid and accurate communications are essential - during both day-to-day operations and possible crisis situations. The mission- and business-critical nature of utilities supply means that the consequences of failure are high.

For utilities, an emergency situation without communications is not an option, which is why many companies choose to invest in independent resilient radio networks. Western Power Distribution is one example of a utility organisation that has adopted such a network. Even farming utility firms are recognising the benefits.

It’s been over a year since Murray Irrigation, the largest private irrigation weir company in Australia, enlisted Simoco channel partner Tekace Communications to deploy a large-scale interconnected multisite radio solution.

Tekace chose to install Simoco Xfin, an IP-based MPT1327 network solution to provide radio coverage across the 7480 square kilometres of irrigation supply channels in rural New South Wales. Prior to this, Murray Irrigation’s existing network was unreliable with numerous ‘black spots’ that forced over 85 of its field staff to use company GSM-based mobile phones.

Since deployment, Simoco Xfin has ensured robust communications across the business and Murray Irrigation has benefited from significant reductions in the day-to-day overhead with staff avoiding excessive costly mobile phone calls and GSM services.

Radio systems such as that chosen by Murray Irrigation are reliable and function in extreme conditions, confined spaces, emergency situations and across large fleets of users. The off-grid and independent nature of radio means that, even when other networks go down, radio systems remain operational and key to getting systems back online - an essential requirement for any utilities organisation.

While the initial investment of capital required to bring a radio network to reality may seem high, many organisations are starting to realise they can actually save money in the long term - particularly when compared with a network of costly GSM mobile phones that some companies are using to close their communication gap.