The LoRa Alliance and OMS-Group e. V., announced a new liaison to standardize smart metering IoT applications through the combined use of OMS and LoRaWAN^® standards. In a joint task force, the organizations have specified a standard use of the Open Metering System (OMS) metering language over LoRaWAN. LoRaWAN cost savings

The new specification reduces the complexity and cost of integration for utilities, which in turn increases their return on investment (ROI). A joint demo of OMS over LoRaWAN will be shown at Enlit, taking place Nov. 29 to Dec. 2, 2021, in Milan.

“Standardization is absolutely essential to achieving massive scale for the IoT,” said Donna Moore, CEO and chairwoman of the LoRa Alliance. “Given the large scale of their deployments, gas, water and electric utilities will achieve improved business value from implementing standards-backed technologies like LoRaWAN and OMS due to the interoperability and ease of deployment provided. LoRaWAN is already proven for networking smart utility applications, from metering, to leak detection, automated shut-off, and more. Using LoRaWAN with OMS is a game-changer for the European utility market that makes deployments simpler and more cost-effective, while ensuring the interoperability of legacy meters, to maximize ROI.”

“Utilities have long relied on the Open Metering System Specification to integrate all media–gas, heat and water, including submetering––into one system,” said Andreas Bolder, speaker of the board of OMS-Group. “Combining the benefits of the OMS language with those of LoRaWAN networking offers further standardization of smart metering applications, increasing utilities’ readiness for IoT.”

The new joint LoRa Alliance and OMS specification enables a standard M-Bus transport over LoRaWAN, and a joint proof of concept (PoC) has validated the interoperability on all levels, from data platform down to different OMS end devices connected via the same or different LoRaWAN networks. At Enlit, a joint demo of the OMS over LoRaWAN PoC will be featured in the LoRa Alliance and OMS-Group’s respective stands. The specification and PoC were developed jointly by members of both organizations, and includes representation from Birdz, Elvaco, Kamstrup, Mainlink, Minol-ZENNER-Group, and Semtech.

Birdz, the IoT subsidiary of Veolia Environment Group, has been a sponsor and primary contributor to the liaison’s effort. Its CEO Xavier Mathieu stated, “This liaison and the OMS over LoRaWAN technical solution are a major achievement to bring highly efficient, standard and interoperable smart metering solutions to utilities and municipalities.”

Using OMS over LoRaWAN for standard OMS applications allows utility companies that already use OMS to benefit from LoRaWAN’s advantages, including low power consumption, long range and deep indoor penetration–ideal for meters that are often underground, or in concrete or other hard-to-reach areas–and firmware updates over the air (FUOTA). The new specification also ensures interoperability with legacy OMS-based systems, frees utilities from the costly burden of deploying and maintaining radio network infrastructure by using existing LoRaWAN third-party networks. Together, this extends the systems’ useful life to achieve significant cost savings. LoRaWAN cost savings