Itron, Landis+Gyr meters to share communications

Metering companies Itron and Landis+Gyr plan to use each other’s smart-grid communication technologies in their advanced energy meters.

The move is designed to give utility companies more choices when deploying smart electricity meters to their customers.

“Our customers have asked for multi-vendor systems,” said Russ Vanos, vice president and general manager of sales and marketing for Itron North America. “By enabling system interoperability, we can help utilities of all sizes reduce both implementation and ongoing communications costs, as well as improve efficiencies and accelerate return on investment.”

Products with the integrated communications systems are expected to be available before the end of 2011.