CellNet-Puget Sound Energy Expands its Meter Network

CellNet Data Systems, Inc. is expanding its 700,000-meter network for Puget Sound Energy by a total of 100,000 meters. This expansion will provide Network Meter Reading (NMR) services to an additional 85,000 natural gas customers and 15,000 electric customers. Puget Sound Energy will add $5 million in financing to its original $35 million agreement signed October 1997 to fund the network deployment.

The CellNet-Puget Sound Energy network serves residential, commercial and industrial customers, reading single- and polyphase electric meters and natural gas meters. Since April 1998 when Puget Sound Energy started the three-year, 700,000-meter network project, the company already has converted 150,000 electric and natural gas meters. This network was initially deployed two years ago as a pilot serving roughly 15,000 Puget Sound Energy customers. The network's services include automatic outage detection, power theft detection, and flexible billing options.

CellNet Data Systems, Inc. (San Carlos, CA) provides open-architecture fixed-network wireless information services. Its networks enable a wide range of real-time customer information services and applications for the energy industry, including such enhanced energy services as time-of-use pricing, automatic outage and restoration detection.

Puget Sound Energy is Washington state's largest energy utility, providing electric and natural gas service to more than 1.1 million customers.