Landis+Gyr (SIX: LAND) has signed an agreement with Lower Yellowstone Rural Electric Cooperative (LYREC) to provide a complete cellular-based AMI solution for a group of three rural electric cooperatives serving parts of Eastern Montana and Northwestern North Dakota.

Under terms of the agreement, LYREC will be directing the deployment and management of the Gridstream® Connect cellular metering solution for two nearby partner utilities, while also adding cellular meters to its existing network. The Gridstream cellular solution features a turnkey LTE-M omni-carrier contract through Vodafone to ensure full coverage and ease of installation.

The project includes 3,800 electric meters for a full AMI deployment at Goldenwest Electric Cooperative and Mid-Yellowstone Electric Cooperative. LYREC will also be adding cellular meters to its existing AMI network.

“These utilities represent a large service territory across two states with low population density, and this can create challenges for communication networks. Landis+Gyr’s cellular AMI meters have proven to support network coverage, data access and ease of management that benefit our utility and members,” said Corey Candee, Chief Information Officer at LYREC.

Landis+Gyr’s cellular AMI solution provides utilities with the same access to interval meter data as other Gridstream network options while offering access to multiple carriers under a single managed contract. This improves connectivity and resilience of the network even in remote and hard to reach locations.

“The cellular option provides many benefits for utilities looking for all of the features Gridstream provides in a cost-effective package that is both easy to deploy and manage,” said Jim Richardson, Senior Director of Sales at Landis+Gyr. “We are excited about the opportunity to assist LYREC with their grid modernization goals with this project.”

In September 2020, Landis+Gyr announced a global partnership with Vodafone and shortly thereafter launched its IoT connectivity service offering. Using Vodafone Business’ IoT services, utility customers can benefit from Landis+Gyr’s Gridstream Connect solution, providing reliable and secure service, accessing multiple carrier networks without the hassle of needing to manage multiple subscription contracts. The global nature of the agreement ensures seamless access to more than 500 networks in over 180 countries, using a single subscriber identity profile.

About Lower Yellowstone Electric

Lower Yellowstone Rural Electric Cooperative (LYREC) is a not-for-profit electric cooperative headquartered in Sidney, Montana. LYREC delivers reliable electricity to residential and commercial members across the cooperative’s five-county service district including Dawson, Richland, and Roosevelt (in Montana) and McKenzie and Williams (in North Dakota).