Partnership Helps Rural Electric Cooperatives Use Private Communications Networks
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Rural electric cooperatives have traditionally been excluded from being able to employ private communication networks due to the high cost, but a new partnership aims to change this narrative. Investor-owned utilities have slowly been adopting private networks, and now small rural electric utilities can get in on the action as well!
How Rural Electric Cooperatives Can Leverage Private Communication Networks
Utilities of all shapes and sizes have historically utilized public networks that serve tens of millions of customers, such as those operated by companies like AT&T and Verizon. Due to the shared nature of these public networks, utilities that utilize them are vulnerable to the same outages as the masses.
Private LTE networks are superior because they are more secure and reliable. And these networks can be used for internal communications and customer outreach, as well as provide connectivity for millions of devices in the field such as smart meters and sensors. Unfortunately, private networks are expensive, which is why their adoption has traditionally been limited to large investor-owned utilities (IOUs) with deep pockets.
Luckily, these private networks are now within reach for smaller utilities. Rural coops can now access private networks via a new partnership between communication vendors Ericcson, Anterix, and Southern Linc, as well as the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC). The partnership will enable NRTC’s 1,500 members to develop and operate LTE/5G-ready sites as needed.
The first rural electric cooperative to adopt private LTE was the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), which has a service territory of approximately 73,000 square miles. This happed in 2023 when the coop executed a $30M purchase of a 900 MHz private LTE with Anterix. The integration is expected to be fully completed by 2026.
In the final analysis, private communication networks are far superior to public third-party networks because they are more secure and reliable. Because of these benefits, private networks can be viewed as an enhancement to overall emergency preparedness. Thus, I’m happy that these networks are now available to smaller utilities like rural electric cooperatives in addition to the large IOUs.
