Nokia has been selected by Brazilian power distributor Elektro to deploy a private LTE network to increase the reliability and efficiency of the electrical grid in the City of Atibaia and surrounding areas in the state of Sao Paulo.
This highly reliable wireless 4G network will serve more than 75,000 homes and businesses. The LTE network will be deployed in 3.5 Gigahertz (GHz) frequency band, the first such installation in South America. The network will provide business-critical connectivity for grid equipment, smart meters, substations and distributed energy generation sources throughout the service area, enabling grid automation through real-time exchange of information between these devices and Elektro's Operations Center in Campinas. This will enable the quick identification of events on the electrical grid for rapid restoration in case of failure, and even to avoid outages before they occur, helping ensure high-quality service for Elektro's customers.
For the project, Nokia will supply Elektro with a solution composed of the Nokia AirScale Single Radio Network (SRAN) that includes base stations (eNodeBs), enhanced Packet Core and CPE (Customer Premises Equipment). Nokia Global services will deliver and manage the end-to-end Private LTE solution including network design, deployment, integration, assisted operation, maintenance, construction and training for Elektro.
Osvaldo Di Campli, Head of Nokia Latin America
This private LTE deployment will provide the large-scale connectivity, extensive coverage and high-bandwidth service needed for Elektro to extend the reach of its network out into their distribution grid, making the grid much smarter. This future-proof solution will also provide an evolution path to 5G technology in the future, which will offer an array of additional capabilities to keep pace with the fast-evolving utility market.
