Atmel Announces Membership to G3-PLC Alliance

“Atmel adds to our rapidly growing membership of prominent semiconductor companies that are advocating for the most intelligent approach to building out the smart grid,” said Jean Vigneron, general secretary, G3-PLC Alliance. “The G3-PLC technology is an instrumental specification for utility companies deploying smart meters worldwide and we are excited to add Atmel’s industry leadership and support to help grow this standard as a member of the G3-PLC Alliance.”

The G3-PLC specification, recently approved by the ITU and compliant with the IEEE 1901.2 standard, is a new low-frequency, orthogonal frequency division multiplexing-based narrowband powerline communications standard. The G3-PLC is the first NB-PLC standard that supports the IPv6 internet protocol that allows Internet-based energy management systems used by utilities and grid operators to better manage their assets on the grid. Utility companies can now plan their deployments utilizing G3-PLC technology to achieve cost-effective smart grid systems that will meet customers’ needs today and in the future.

“We are excited to be the newest member of the G3-PLC Alliance,” said Kourosh Boutorabi, sr. director of smart energy, Atmel Corporation. “As a member of this alliance, smart grid and utility companies can have the confidence that our next-generation solutions will support the G3 specification, enabling better interoperability between the smart meter and smart grid infrastructure.”

About the G3-PLC Technology:
All G3-PLC Alliance member companies are committed to the success of the G3-PLC technology, and will be instrumental in the rapid deployment of this technology. Members are dedicated to researching or developing products based on G3-PLC, promoting the technology worldwide and participating in various technical working groups, interoperability testing and certification of their products.