Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC), a member-owned electric utility that provides service to 22 counties in Virginia, has chosen Full Spectrum's FullMAX Broadband Wireless system for its private, wide-area, smart grid communications network, a critical part of REC's Department of Energy sponsored Smart Grid initiative.
With the use of network, REC will be able to mission critical data traffic including Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Automatic Metering Infrastructure (AMI) information.
"We selected Full Spectrum for several important reasons," says Gary Schwartz, director of SCADA / LM / Telecommunications, in a statement. "We needed a secure data solution to cover a very large territory without additional costly tower infrastructure. Full Spectrum's Base Stations are capable of creating 20 mile sectors including non-line of sight coverage." Significant portions of REC's service territory lack even basic cell phone service let alone advanced data. "
Another reason for choosing FullMAX was its ability to offer both mobile and fixed data communications in the same platform, according to Schwartz. REC plans to evaluate utilizing the same private network for mobile workforce management applications in service vehicles including the processing of work orders and Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) applications.
"We are very pleased to have been chosen as the supplier for REC's private wide area network,” stated Stewart Kantor, CEO of Full Spectrum. "REC's challenging service territory, including providing service to portions of the Blue Ridge Mountains, highlights the coverage advantages of the FullMAX platform for extreme rural applications."
Full Spectrum designs, develops and manufacturers licensed broadband wireless equipment for mission critical industries. The company recently introduced its private, mobile broadband data system in the metropolitan Washington D.C. area. Capacity on the network is available to organizations with a need for fixed or mobile data on an exclusive or shared basis. Additionally, for mission critical entities that need complete network control, Full Spectrum can also supply frequencies for purchase with its equipment.
Rahul Arora is a IoTevolutionworld contributor. He has worked as an editor and freelance writer for several reputed organizations in India. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Carrie Schmelkin