Texas Metering & Device Company (TMD), a premier provider of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and services for electric, water and gas utilities, and The Antenna Company, a pioneer in the design of high performance antennas and provider of industry-proven RF coupler/external antenna isolator solutions, announced a robust solution for improved wireless connectivity of off-network smart meters for electric utilities.

This collaboration combines TMD’s AMI expertise and industry knowledge with The Antenna Company's innovative high-efficiency LTE antennas (AC94541-01) and RF Coupler solution (AC20424-01) to solve the connectivity problem of off-network utility smart meters. TMD will serve as a US distributor for The Antenna Company’s products included in the smart meter retrofit kit.

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“As utilities increasingly enforce 100 percent meter read rates, the demand for reliable utility smart meter wireless connectivity continues to rise. TMD and The Antenna Company have combined their strengths to deliver a proven wireless range extension retrofit solution for the smart meter market,” stated Steve Swenke, president of TMD.

Key benefits of the solution include:

  • Immediate availability: The smart meter retrofit kit is available now. Installation will result in improved meter read rates for cellular 4G LTE/P-LTE, including Anterix™ 900 MHz spectrum and short-range/mesh networking connectivity, reducing the need for expensive, time-consuming manual meter reads.
  • Fast return on investment: Eliminate the high cost of truck rolls for manual meter reading by deploying this innovative range-extension solution.
  • Comprehensive support: Customers can expect comprehensive technical support and expertise from TMD, ensuring successful implementation of the smart meter wireless range-extension solution.

Norm Smith, vice president of sales for The Antenna Company added, “We are delighted to partner with TMD as our integration expert and distributor for the U.S. utility smart meter market. Today’s joint announcement by TMD and The Antenna Company marks a strategic alignment and immediate availability of this retrofit solution that will drive a much-needed improvement in smart meter remote-read rates.”