PGE Distribution Company has signed a contract with Ericsson for the supply of nearly 600 power systems for radio base stations and aggregation transmission nodes under the LTE450 Program. This is the last contract for the delivery of key telecommunication equipment components for the LTE450 network. Its implementation is intended to facilitate the construction of a network of vital importance for the energy sector, accelerating its digitization.
“We are in the process of transforming the power system, which involves decarbonizing production sources that have until now mainly relied on hard and brown coal, moving towards renewable energy sources. However, changes are also required in the distribution network, which, on the one hand, receives this electricity from producers and, on the other hand, delivers it to end customers. Today we are dealing with a bidirectional network because the energy is transmitted in both directions. New conditions mean that this network must be active, so it requires digitization, implementation of new digital systems, so that we can manage the supply and demand for energy in a responsible, agile and fast manner,” explains Marcin Laskowski, Vice President for Regulation at PGE Polish Energy Group, in an interview with Newseria Biznes agency.
For modern energy – which requires integration of renewable energy sources, balancing, or development of energy clusters – a robust, reliable and secure communication network is essential. It will be ensured by the LTE450 Program implemented by PGE – using LTE technology and the 450 MHz frequency band, for which PGE Systems from the PGE Group has a nationwide reservation for use in the energy sector. Providing communication channels will allow, among other things, flexible network management, and thus improvement in the reliability of power supply and greater energy security. It will also allow greater automation and optimization of energy services.
Renewable sources are unstable, and if we add energy storage, which will accumulate surplus electrical energy production during peaks and release it during times of increased demand, we need a flexible network with new systems to balance this energy demand. Without efficient communication, without a modern communication network like LTE450, this process would be greatly hampered,” says Marcin Laskowski.
The LTE450 network will also streamline the work of dispatchers, and thanks to the automation of monitoring processes, it will help shorten the time it takes to eliminate faults. For customers, this means safer and more stable energy supplies. The LTE450 communication network will be an integral part of the Remote Meter Reading project implemented at PGE Distribution. It is planned that by 2030, all customers will have modern electricity meters that enable remote reading of measurement data. Customers will have the ability to access real-time information on energy consumption and fees calculated based on it.
“The LTE450 network we are deploying is primarily intended to serve dispatcher communication, in order to manage flows in the network efficiently and flexibly. It is also intended to serve service companies, which will have a great tool for communication and managing the work of this network,” emphasizes the Vice President of PGE.
From the customers’ perspective, one of the most important things is also that data management in the network will accelerate our response and shorten the time to fix faults, which occur, for example, due to weather conditions. This is crucial because our role is to ensure continuous and safe energy supplies for customers,” says Jacek Drozd, CEO of PGE Distribution.
Preparatory work to build a special communication network for the Polish energy sector began in August 2018, after obtaining a 450 MHz frequency license. One of the key assumptions in the LTE450 program is to make the maximum use of PGE Distribution’s own infrastructure, in particular telecommunication towers. Therefore, the company has been modernizing these for two years. PGE Distribution’s own modernized towers will form the backbone of a targeted network of locations at which the LTE450 network’s radio equipment will be installed. Missing locations in areas of lower strategic importance will be achieved through leasing space on third-party antenna towers.
The PGE network, based on Ericsson Cloud Core and RAN solutions, is expected to cover nearly 40 percent of Poland’s area (over 500 base stations of PGE Distribution). Last year, companies in the PGE Group signed contracts with Ericsson for the supply and implementation of RAN radio components and for the supply of CORE core network components. This week, PGE Distribution signed a new contract with Ericsson – for the supply of nearly 600 power systems for radio base stations and aggregation transmission nodes under the LTE450 Program. This is the last contract for the delivery of key telecommunication equipment components of this network.
The contract for the supply of installation and power systems complements the previous agreements for CORE core equipment and radio equipment,” informs Martin Mellor, CEO of Ericsson in Poland. “We are now ready to build the LTE450 network. It will be the first network of vital importance for the energy sector, contributing to its digitization. It will provide the PGE Group with a secure, dedicated infrastructure that the company will use to the benefit of consumers and industry in Poland.”
The LTE450 program implementation schedule in the first stage assumes the launch of the network’s first base stations in the operator’s area of operation in mid-2025, and a further extension of its coverage, as well as the development of new services for the energy sector. In subsequent stages, work is also planned for other entities in the energy sector.
“Ericsson has research and development centers in Poland, and our engineers in Krakow and Lodz will support the development of this project. We are also implementing production in cooperation with our partner Flex, who produces 4G and 5G radio modules and baseband devices for base stations here, which means that the elements of the LTE network for PGE will be made in Poland.” adds Martin Mellor.
