Wireless Broadband Architecture Supporting Advanced Metering Infrastructure

Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) enables two-way communications with smart meters and offers the potential to convert a meter from a simple measuring and counting device to a core element of an integrated system to better manage the utility services, and is considered a fundamental component of the Smart Grid (SG) technology The traffic in the AMI, characterized by small session duration, limited mobility, and large number of devices, renders the use of the wireless broadband access networks as being inefficient and potentially inadequate for supporting the AMI. In this paper, we look at enhancements to the air interface and network protocols to support smart metering devices operating over a shared network with other deployed wireless multimedia services.