Smart Metering in Tianjin, Bolstered by HiSilicon NB-IoT Chipsets

[ShangHai, China, May 26, 2020] The Tianjin Municipal People's Government, Tianjin Water Group, and Tianjin Gas Group have jointly carried out an ambitious IoT metering reconstruction project, with the goal of building smart city services for Tianjin residents. The project was backed by China Mobile IoT, along with China Mobile (Tianjin), via the OneMO + IoT card + OneNET device-pipe-cloud solution. The OneMO module comes equipped with the HiSilicon Boudica 150 chipset, providing stable, secure, and low power NB-IoT capabilities, for smart metering applications.。

Resolving Six Major Smart Metering O&M Issues

Safe, reliable, and precise measurement and management of metering are crucial for a wide range of commercial operations in the energy industry. NB-IoT is characterized by an airtight security, wide coverage, low power consumption, and a high degree of connectivity. Thus, NB-IoT based meters are uniquely positioned to address the following six challenges:

Cost-effectiveness and efficiency: NB-IoT enables IoT meters to access the network immediately upon being powered on, thereby substantially improving the online rate and meter reading success rate. Unified information collection, data analysis, and reverse control reduce costs and improve efficiency.

Data security: NB-IoT is deployed on the operator's licensed spectrum with the anti-interference capability, data security, and secure technical services.

Power consumption: NB-IoT significantly reduces power consumption. Tests have revealed that an NB-IoT meter typically works for six consecutive years, with a collection frequency of two times per day.

Network signal coverage: As a typical wide-coverage, low-power technology, NB-IoT provides an in-depth coverage capability that is 20 dB greater than that of GSM, proving especially useful for water and gas meters that work under harsh operating environments. NB-IoT also resolve issues related to unlicensed spectrum interference faced by small-sized wireless networks.

Large-scale connections: NB-IoT has an especially large connection capacity, and can support massive online IoT meters.

Compatibility: With the OneNET platform of China Mobile, the protocol compatibility problem involving multiple suppliers can be solved for energy operation enterprises, and the process of integrating meters from different suppliers can be simplified.

Device-Pipe-Cloud Services and Technical Support

China Mobile has helped Tianjin Water Group and Tianjin Gas Group build an integrated device-pipe-cloud operation solution, and adhered to its vision of an expanded connection scale, optimized connection services, and enhanced connection applications, to provide customers with professional device-pipe-cloud and technical support services.

More than 90% OneMO have been introduced to key meter factories in China, shortening the production period of the project.

The OneNET compatibility has been improved as well, which has streamlined the subsequent interconnection process.

The OneMO + IoT card + OneNET service enables IoT meters to access the network with greater ease.

The D5200 signal detector, developed based on OneMO, has been used to help China Mobile (Tianjin) complete the NB-IoT signal detection report, and restore service to challenging areas that were previously characterized by poor signal coverage. Currently, the comprehensive coverage rate of the NB-IoT network in Tianjin is 95%, and the continuous coverage rate is 100%.

Accelerating IoT Development, to Build a Smarter Tianjin

China Mobile will continue to optimize the OneMO supply chain, strengthen quality monitoring, and provide stable and reliable module products for the project, to help usher in the burgeoning Internet of Everything (IoE).

NB-IoT now serves as the main connection mode for smart meters, such as water and gas meters. HiSilicon is committed to working closely with China Mobile and other industry partners to build NB-IoT chipsets and modules that come equipped with stronger connectivity, higher integration, and lower power consumption, ensuring that more public utilities can benefit from intelligent reconstruction, and assist in the building of smart IoT cities from the future.