Why Cellular? » Bandwidth
The information transmitted by smart meters actually uses a fraction of the bandwidth of a cellular call or smartphone function, virtually ensuring there will always be adequate bandwidth for smart meter data transmission at any time of the day or night. Furthermore, while no one knows precisely what future applications your smart grid may require, leveraging cellular networks provides the flexibility to add applications and new services without adding infrastructure. A mesh network simply does not.
Bandwidth to Spare
If every water, gas and electric meter in the U.S. (about 300 million meters) transmitted a day’s worth of 15-minute interval data, it would amount to an increase of less than 2/1000th of 1 percent (specifically, 0.00018 percent) in the amount of data that a carrier like AT&T currently transfers across its network on a daily basis. There is more than sufficient bandwidth for the needs of meters.
They Maintain, They Upgrade
If you build and own your network, you are responsible for maintaining it. You are also responsible for upgrading it. Both of these undertakings are time consuming and costly. With cellular networks, the companies that built them are responsible for maintenance and upkeep. Cellular carriers are committed to expanding and upgrading, and when they invest the dollars to make this happen, the smart grids that leverage cellular networks reap the benefits.
