Ericsson bagged a new contract to deploy a LTE smart grid for EneryAustralia.

As part of the deal, Ericsson will design and integrate a multivendor wireless access network that will enable two-way communications between electrical control devices, back-end systems and households. The network will be rolled out across 150 sites in New South Wales.

The telecommunications network will transmit data between 12,000 smart monitoring devices being installed on the electricity distribution network, up to 3,000 mobile field computers, and 200 zone substations.

EnergyAustralia will conduct trials of an LTE platform commencing in 2011, with the intent to migrate to a full LTE network.

"Ericsson is delighted to partner with EnergyAustralia on this extremely important project. Machine-to-machine (M2M) communications is transforming the utility sector and will enable smart grids to deliver instant information, giving households greater control over their energy usage, costs and carbon emissions, as well as supporting more renewable energy," said Sam Saba, CEO, Ericsson Australia/NZ.

"As a global wireless leader with multivendor systems integration experience, Ericsson is well placed to partner with utilities as they transform their electricity distribution networks with current solutions and future wireless broadband technologies that will deliver even faster speeds and greater capacity," said Saba.

Under the agreement, Ericsson will provide equipment, software and services, and will leverage the Melbourne-based Ericsson Global LTE Competence Centre, and Ericsson's deep local expertise in network design, planning and integration.

"We envision a world of 50 billion connected devices by 2020, and smart grids and smart meters will be at the heart of the evolution of M2M communications," said Saba.