Powerful Critical Communications for Utility Companies and Grid Operators

CONET's UC Radio Suite enables an integrated, resilient communication and reliable information exchange throughout all operating processes of private and public water, gas and electricity suppliers and grid operators – in daily operations as well as in crisis and large-scale emergency scenarios, stationary and mobile.

Logo: CONET is Achilles Utilities Nordics and Central Europe Qualified

CONET is Achilles Qualified
As your partner in procurement and sourcing, Achilles aims at offering a new kind of technology and solution procurement with less risk, less cost and less compliance issues through its established communities for special industrial sectors and technological challenges. For Utilities Nordics & Central Europe, CONET with its UC Radio Suite is a listed qualified member of the Achilles community.

Flexibility and Mobility in Regular Operation

Image: CONET UC Radio Suite for Utilities - Worker with handheld Radio

While changed energy policies and progressing digitalization support environmental protection, efficiency and transparency, they also increase the complexity in the operational processes of utility companies. The UC Radio Suite integrates all communication channels and platforms including multiline channels / trading and mobile applications on a single centralized and easy-to-use interface. The flexible switching operations and the information exchange necessary for avoiding shortages and overvoltages alike become more reliable and easier to manage.

Responsiveness in Crisis and Emergency

Image: CONET UC Radio Suite for Utilities - Men at Work

Emergencies caused by damaged equipment or infrastructure as well as situations of crisis due to extreme weather conditions or large-scale blackouts lead to special challenges for communication and control. The high availability and resilience of the UC Radio Suite enable reliable communication even in such emergency and crisis scenarios. The UCRS directly connects emergency services, public crisis and control centers, satellite phones, digital radio like TETRA or P25 and private mobile radio with the grid control centers and offers additional mobile support on distributed premises with optional supplementary modules like smartphone applications and a mobile command flight case.

Security Against Cyber Attacks

Bild: CONET UC Radio Suite für Energieversorger - Sicherheit

Being an integral part of critical infrastructures (German: KRITIS), utility companies have to comply with especially high demands towards safeguarding against physical attacks, sabotage and blackouts as well as securing their IT and communication systems against cyber attacks. The UC Radio Suite strengthens the infrastructures' overall resilience, offers extensive backup and redundancy mechanisms and provides the necessary transparency and traceability. The completely software-based solution facilitates flexible functional adjustments and security-relevant updates at any time - efficiently and without downtime.

Key Features

Illustration: CONET UC Radio Suite for Utilities - Features

Resilient. Integrated. Secure.

The UC Radio Suite combines integration capability, flexibility, functional power and reliability, thereby offering the perfectly suited support for the communicative challenges in grid control centers and distribution sites.

Illustration: CONET UC Radio Suite for Utilities - Network Connections

Your Benefits

  • Freely customizable graphical user interface
  • Flexible multiline communication and conferencing
  • Highly available and resilient control center communication
  • Fully integrated mobile solutions for smartphones and tablets
  • Internet-based, standardized and easily scalable
  • Sustainable, future-proof solutions based on established industry standards
  • High usability via flexible multi-touch interfaces
  • Increased acceptance by users and employee representatives
  • Strong security levels in IT security and data protection
  • Compliance with the German BDEW recommendations and international communication standards

  

CONET UC Radio Suite Success Stories

Transmission System Operators

Nationwide Distribution System Operator Regional Distribution System Operator

Multiline communication infrastructure at more than 50 work stations in three grid control centers including crisis management support of a leading transmission system operator. With 900 employees, our customer operates a more than 11,000 kilometers long extra-high voltage grid designed for volt ranges of 220,000 to 380,000 volts, covering 160 distribution locations and thus constituting one of the largest grid networks in Europe.

Multiline communication infrastructure at more than 50 work stations in ten grid control and crisis management centers for supporting regular operation as well as crisis and emergency management processes with stationary and mobile communication solutions. Our customer is part of one of Europe's largest electricity producers in the three business fields of Renewable Energy, Grid Infrastructure and Sales, operating numerous wind farms and providing more than 16 million end customers with electricity and seven million customers with gas in eleven European countries.

Multiline communication solution in the four grid control centers of a municipal distribution system operator. Our customer operates a 31,000 kilometers long high voltage grid and a more than 3,500 kilometers long gas grid in the south of Germany.

 

Critical Communication App: Secure Mobile Communication in Regular Operation and Blackout Scenarios

With our mobile communication applications for smartphones and tablets you increase the efficiency of your operating and emergency processes in regular operation and facilitate reliable communication also in large-scale crisis or blackout scenarios.

Under normal supply conditions, the grid management, dispatching and control centers communicate with their operating staff via public mobile radio networks and their own private radio networks. In case of a blackout, wireless hotspots, e.g. at the substations, can secure interruption-free communication with the connected control systems of the grid management.

In both these scenarios, CONET Communication Apps support your grid control management perfectly. They provide comprehensive communication services for voice and data transmission, are completely integrated with the existing communication and control systems and easily customizable for your special needs and operating processes.

We'll be happy to demonstrate and discuss the key features, integration options and benefits of the UC Radio Suite and our Critical Communication Apps for your grid control center.

Guaranteed Availability – Unlimited Mobility

The easy-to-use apps cover all the extensive usability options offered by modern mobile phones and tablets and increase the availability of your operating staff at your premises as well as substations and distributed locations via their own smart devices - in regular operations and blackout scenarios alike.

The respective business processes in critical infrastructure management include critical communications with the communication, control and workforce systems of the grid operators.

Therefore, CONET follows a comprehensive "security-by-design" approach in developing critical communication solutions, thus safeguarding that all regulatory and legal conditions are met, the compliance with high and very high security standards is facilitated and that a consistent traceability is ensured via suitable monitoring and documentation mechanisms.

Key Features of Critical Communication Apps for Utility Companies and Grid Operators:

  • Use of modern technology and usability concepts of smartphones and tablets
  • Integrated, web-based communication between control center and operating staff
  • Increased safety for the onsite staff
  • Reliable functionality and capability in regular as well as emergency operation
  • Sustainable, future-proof solutions based on established industry standards

  • High usability and thus increased acceptance by users

  • Strong security levels in IT security and data protection

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