Page 36 - Cyber Warnings

interfere with communications. In addition to security and capacity concerns, network latency is
of paramount importance in utility networks. Many advanced applications require almost an
instantaneous and predictable response - below 100 ms.

Public network providers are unable to guarantee this type of response time for many structural
reasons. And lastly, public networks are designed to provide connectivity where their customers
live and work.

Utility infrastructure can be dispersed over wide areas and are not strictly confined to populated
centers. And as many of us have experienced with public cellular data networks, ensuring
coverage in densely populated, urban areas can be a challenge due to terrain, foliage and
physical structures. In rural areas, connections can be non-existent.

Monitor & Control with a Private IoT

To ensure all control points and smart devices are connected securely, and communications are
not hindered via latency challenges or hacker threats, utilities are starting to introduce private
wireless data networks using licensed radio frequencies and software defined radio technology.

Unlike the public cellular data networks that are often saturated with consumer data traffic (e.g.
video downloads, streaming, etc.), these private networks are owned, operated and deployed by
the utility, allowing them to manage millions of assets and remote devices without ever
connecting to the public internet.

Software defined radio communications over private wireless data networks offer utilities an IoT
communications solution designed to meet their specific needs. Compared to public cellular
data networks, including 4G LTE systems and proposed 5G systems, private wireless networks
have been designed to cover the entirety of a utility’s service territory, dedicating enough
bandwidth for the appropriate functions.

Both public and private wireless systems feature downlink and uplink capabilities, however,
public LTE systems allocate most of their bandwidth to downstream capacity as this is often
required for consumer use.

Utility private networks, however, are designed for high capacity upstream traffic (or pulling data
back) to their network operations center. In addition, there is a significant difference between
public and private utility networks in how data traffic is prioritized based on location, application
and device.

Public LTE networks, since they are often filled with consumer traffic, can be unpredictable in
terms of latency, making it difficult to operate many time sensitive grid functions.

Private networks however, fall solely under the control of the utility, allowing them to keep the
network clear for their own communications.

36 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine November 2016 Edition
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