EUTC Spectrum Group Meeting on 12 May 2022 in Paris, France

The Radio Spectrum Policy Group meetings come in the framework of EUTC facilitating the debate over the necessity of harmonised radio spectrum allocation for utilities and critical infrastructure companies operating in Europe. EUTC’s work in the area of radio spectrum allocation policy includes contributing to the European Commission’s EU Radio Spectrum Policy Group and to the European Parliament’s Radio Spectrum Policy Plan.

On 11 and 12 May 2022 EUTC Members met for the first time after the pandemic for a Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG) meeting in Paris, France. The meeting had over 20 attendees coming from within EUTC and external organisations as well, and was hosted at the EDF Research&Development premises in the Saclay area, located in southern Paris.

On the evening of 11 May, the Secretariat and Board of EUTC visited EUTC Member General Electric representatives in their Massy (Paris) premises, for a short informal meeting. In the evening, an opening dinner before the meeting took place, where all EUTC members attending the meeting were present.

On Thursday 12 May, the Radio Spectrum Policy Group meeting took place in the morning, hosted by EUTC member EDF at their Research&Development facility. Attendees listened to a presentation by Mr Adrian Grilli, Spectrum Group Manager of EUTC and discussed together their requirements for radio spectrum allocation. Mr Eric Fournier, Chairman of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group of the European Commission, presented the single situations in each of the EU countries concerning radio spectrum for utilities, given the different address each Member State gave to it. After lunch, EDF took meeting attendees for a tour of their research premises.

The EUTC would like to thank all participants for attending the meeting in person or online, and EDF for hosting it.

EUTC at the UTCAL Summit 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

From 29 March to 1st April 2022, the UTCAL Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event is organised by UTC Latin America (UTCAL) and is namely the biggest gathering of the utilities telecommunications sector of the region.

EUTC Secretary General Julian Stafford with fellow panellists at the UTCAL Summit 2022

The first in-person UTCAL Summit after the beginning of the pandemic took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the first weeks of Spring. EUTC was present at the event, represented by our Secretary General Julian Stafford. The 2022 edition gathered more than 600 participants coming from the utility telecommunications sector worldwide, including Government policy makers and regulators from both energy and telecommunications sectors.  114 speakers addressed a range of topics in plenary and four parallel streams in over 60 different sessions in Portuguese, Spanish and English with translation facilities provided

Julian Stafford presenting on 30 March 2022

Julian Stafford participated on a panel on 30 March titled “Telecommunications Technologies for the Modernization of Utilities“, discussing all the applications that different technologies may have in the development of smart grids in order to make them future proof. On 31st March, he also participated in a second panel, called “Technological Evolutions on LTE Networks“, during which LTE solutions for different frequencies were presented, together with Mr Gosta Kallner of the 450MHz Alliance and others.

The event provided important networking opportunities for all its attendees, and generated high-level debates on fundamental topics of the current moment, such as cybersecurity, Internet of Things and private networks.

Networking cocktails at the UTCAL Summit 2022

The UTCAL Summit is an occasion for EUTC to mark its presence abroad and outside of Europe, something that will help set the scene for further collaborations with UTCAL.

EUTC General Assembly

EUTC truly believes in the potential of joining forces to foster energy efficiency, security and a net zero carbon future through developments in utility telecommunications in Europe. 

To celebrate, we are excited to announce the first virtual General Assembly on 9 December 2021 from 16.30 to 18.30 CET.

The assembly will be exclusively for members this year. On the agenda is  a recap of the past year, strategy for the coming year(s) and what this entails in terms of technical activities, advocacy and events.

Don’t miss this opportunity and join our General Assembly!

TCCA Critical Communications World 2021

Critical Communications World 2021 will unite mission-critical and business-critical end-users and manufacturers for the first time in two years.

Join Julian Stafford, EUTC’s Secretary General, in the Panel discussion “International perspectives on the mining, oil, utilities and transportation industry approach, from SCADA to IoT” on November 5 at 12pm CET. 

The utilities, mining, oil and transportation industries all have very specific requirements about their critical communications needs and strategies. This discussion will bring perspectives from around the world on what is needed for effective operations.

Expecting the unexpected: Cybersecurity for critical infrastructure

Where does one start investing in and embedding cybersecurity in utilities? Cybersecurity is a growing industry with no near-end in sight. The need for cyber resilience is here to stay, more so with the digitalisation of critical infrastructure in Europe.

Deepen your understanding of cybersecurity for European utilities and save the date for EUTC’s latest webinar on October 22, 2021, from 12h00 to 13h30 CET! On the occasion of the EuropeanCyberSecurityMonth, the webinar will focus on various cybersecurity challenges and opportunities for utilities, with special attention on the application of EU’s NIS Directive 2 to critical national infrastructure, cyber issues around supply chain and real life examples of successful cyber resilience.

Join various presentations from E-REDES and a number of key players in the cybersecurity field, including Darktrace, global pioneer in cybersecurity solutions and University of Glasgow, an academic leader in the field. 

The event is free to all members of EUTC and European regulators. Non-members are welcome to register and can join at a fixed participation fee of 250 EUR (excluding VAT). It is an open meeting where quality experiences, realities and information will be exchanged in a transparent and trusted manner among peers.

UTCAL Summit Online: Spectrum for Utilities – International Effort

In this panel UTCAL will showcase their activities with CITEL and the WP5A Work Group of the SG5 of the Radio Communications Sector of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), where it acts strongly to ensure that utilities have access to an appropriate spectrum, a topic that has been one of the main priorities of UTC Global Advisory Committee.

A reasonable investment of resources has been made over the past 10 years in the search for harmonized spectrum for utilities. In the last five (5) years, UTC Global Advisory Committee has developed a coordinated approach to act directly with each regional regulatory group (in the case of UTCAL, Working Group ANATEL Utilities) resulting in a positive reaction within CITEL and ITU.

As a consequence of these activities at international level, there is a gradual increase in sensitivity on the part of national telecommunications regulators to the specific demands and needs of utilities companies with regard to access and use of spectrum frequencies dedicated to the implementation of so-called Utilities Mission Critical Networks – private networks of companies that support mission-critical applications related to the operation, maintenance and continuous supervision of the electrical system.

Moreover, this participation has favoured the objective of promoting a more uniform use of spectrum by utilities, that is, their harmonized use in the various countries where the companies operate, and we will show what is being done in these countries, which allows to increase the scale of the supply of standardized radio communications equipment and the reduction of their acquisition cost due to the economies of scale achieved. Join Julian Stafford, EUTC’s General Secretary, and various other international organisations in the debate on the importance of harmonizing spectrum allocation to increase efficiency and robustness of networks for critical infrastructure.

Register today for the panel on September 3 at 19:00 CET!

Private LTE Networks for European Utilities in Critical Infrastructure

Have you wondered how exactly wireless LTE technologies is operated by utilities and how telecommunications can be helpful in critical infrastructure?

Deepen your understanding of the deployment of private LTE technology in Europe! Join various presentations from

  • EUTC on leveraging the unified voice in European markets
  • Nokia on the general benefits of formalising with regulators and the agility of mobile systems allowing utilities to manage smart meters across the nation
  • NetNordic on why and how they built private mobile networks in a Norwegian offshore windfarm and which challenges were addressed by the final solution and application
  • Iberdrola on the installation of LTE networks to improve connectivity in one of the bigger markets in Europe, Spain, with an allocation of 2.3 GHz bands
  • 450Connect on how a consortium rolls out the installation and manages the financing, once the network and 450MHz spectrum bands have been allocated in Germany

For inquiries and the recording, please contact info@eutc.org.

EUTC – Cybersecurity Workshop

November 13, 2019 @ 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

EUTC invites you to a special one-day Cybersecurity Workshop on November 13 in Paris.  This event will occur during the same time as European Utility Week, November 12-14, also in Paris.

New cybersecurity regulation, new threats, and new technology mean that the future will not resemble the past.   Now is a key time for European utilities and their technology partners to plan their cybersecurity programs for the next decade.

Join EUTC and its members as we explore the changing world of cybersecurity, and to understand how utilities can survive this new reality.  This one-day workshop will include sessions on compliance with the European Union’s Network and Information Security (NIS) Directive, supply chain risk, cases studies of utility cybersecurity deployments, and how to match the appropriate level of security to different asset types.  Utilities and technology providers that need to optimize smart grid cybersecurity will especially benefit from this workshop.

Registrations

Registrations are as follows:

  • EUTC utility member:  €200.00
  • Non-Member utility:  €300.00
  • EUTC associate member:  €450.00
  • Non-Member vendor:  €1,000 (second person can register for free)

To register, follow the link here.

Workshop on 5G

June 26, 2019

EUTC is holding a 5G event in Brussels on 26th June 2019. The event will be utility focused and covered not only by the potential use cases for 5G technology in the utility sector and smart grids  but also the opportunity represented by the requirements of the utility community to shape the development of 5G standards and associated future LTE releases.

There will be a focus sessions on key areas including – business cases for 5G incorporation within the utility sector (passive and active infrastructure), process for influencing utility-specific 5G functionality (via 3GPP), hybrid private / public integration, spectrum allocations and synergies with other verticals (automotive, rail, healthcare etc.). The event will be attended by a range of leading presenters and delegates representing the entire 5G eco-system from end users in key verticals, standards bodies, chipset manufacturers, policy makers, regulators and system vendors / integrators.

The event will build upon themes highlighted in the recent UTC whitepaper on 5G, which you can find here.

Registrations

Registrations are now open. If you wish to register to the EUTC Workshop click here.

Rates:
  • EUTC Utility Member: €200.00
  • Non-Member Utility: €300.00
  • EUTC Associate Member: €450.00
  • Non-Member Vendor: €1,000.00 (Second Registration available for FREE)
Program

The Program of our 5G Workshop is now available by following this link.

Details

Date:June 26, 2019

Venue

L42
Rue de la Loi 42
Brussels, 1040 Belgium + Google Map