Ambient and Qualcomm Enhances Smart Grid Communications

Ambient Corporation, a leading provider of flexible and scalable smart grid communications platforms and technologies, announced today that its Ambient Smart Grid communications nodes now include Qualcomm's mobile broadband solution, the MDM6600 chipset. This chipset adds a new level of communications flexibility to the award winning Ambient Smart Grid communications platform, and is certified by Verizon Wireless for use in its wireless network.

"As the smart grid industry grows beyond smart meters and attracts more and more energy-saving applications, the need for highly functional, stable and reliable wireless communications is becoming increasingly vital. Qualcomm's products currently provide us with best-of-breed solution for our nodes," said John J. Joyce, President and CEO of Ambient.

For many utilities deploying smart grid networks, cellular backhaul is the most logical, easy-to- deploy and cost effective method of providing connectivity to assets in the field due to its breadth of coverage and carrier-supported reliability. The certification by Verizon Wireless assures utilities and other users of the Ambient Smart Grid Communications Platform that the architecture will seamlessly deploy anywhere with Verizon's extensive network, for both application communications and system backhaul.

"Smart grid deployments continue to shift towards cellular technologies due to high network reliability, low latencies, ubiquitous coverage, remote field upgradability, low cost of ownership and a strong standards based ecosystem," remarked Andy Wood, Director of Business Development for Qualcomm.