PRIME Alliance Field Test Proves Successful Multi-Vendor Metering

Demonstrates Viability of Open Powerline Communications Standard in Enabling the
Smart Grid
SAN RAMON, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
PRIMEAlliance (PoweRline Intelligent Metering Evolution) announced today it has
successfully demonstrated the first open standards-based, multi-vendor
interoperable metering solution for the utility industry. This achievement
proves that a multi-vendor open powerline communications standard can enable the
Smart Grid by efficiently communicating between the utility companies and
customer meters.

The PRIME Alliance is focused on the development of a new open, public and
non-proprietary powerline carrier communications solution that will support
real-time smart metering functionalities and also provide the fundamental basis
for intelligent distribution networks in an entire Smart Grid vision. The
founding PRIME Alliance members are leading industry players who aim to turn
this vision for an open and public solution into a commercially available
solution.

"The Smart Grid vision evolved into reality when we had proven test-cells
operating in live distribution cells," said Tom Willie, PRIME Alliance vice
chairman from member company Current Group, during a PRIME Management Group
Meeting at the Metering, Billing/CRM Europe conference in Barcelona, Spain, last
week.

By demonstrating that open standards and multi-vendor interoperability for
metering and in-home communications can be successfully achieved, PRIME
demonstrated that the opportunity for utilities to build their Smart Grids from
true multi-vendor solutions is unprecedented.

"Legacy metering approaches required utilities to accept that the communications
link between the meter vendor and meter collector was proprietary, in essence
locking the utility into a single communications provider solution. Today`s
milestone clearly proves that meter vendors and meter collector providers can
now integrate open communications solutions that will speed the adoption, reduce
the cost, and expand the capabilities of Smart Grid solutions for utilities,"
Willie said.

The goal of the Alliance is to provide a framework in which vendors of meters,
data concentrators, in-home devices, and chipsets could access fully open
physical layer (PHY) and Medium Access Control (MAC) specifications in order to
design fully interoperable solutions, which would allow multiple vendors to be
operational within the same distribution network in one common system platform.

The Alliance began the first field-based interoperability tests in multi-vendor
environments this summer based on multiple chipset technologies in PRIME member
Iberdrola`s distribution network.

About PRIME Alliance

The PRIME Alliance provides a forum for the creation of an open, single
specification and standard for narrowband power line for Smart Grid products and
services. The mission of the Alliance is to accelerate the demand for products
and services based on the worldwide standard and promote the broad adoption and
use of the specification while promoting multi-vendor interoperability and
compatibility with the global standard.

The Alliance is open to all potential partners who agree to actively support and
promote an open and public specification for the benefit of the end-user and all
industry stakeholders. Founding members are: Iberdrola, ST Microelectronics,
Texas Instruments, Landis Gyr, Itron, Current Group, Ziv Group and Advanced
Digital Design. Visit www.prime-alliance.org for more information or to join the
Alliance.

Texas Instruments/PRIME Alliance
Thomas Hillmann, +49-816-180-4322
t-hillmann@ti.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009