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Calling All Networks: The Growing Case for Multicommodity Networks
As utilities modernize the grid, communications networks are becoming critical infrastructure. Increasingly, utility leaders are looking beyond single-network strategies and toward communications architectures that provide redundancy, resilience, and flexibility in the face of evolving operational needs, cybersecurity concerns, supply chain risks, and extreme weather events. Reliance on a single communications pathway is no longer sufficient to ensure operational continuity or long term flexibility. In this session, we will ground the discussion in real world case studies from utilities actively deploying multi network communications strategies to support AMI, outage management, and grid modernization programs.
This session examines how utilities are moving toward multi path communications architectures that integrate RF mesh, cellular, private LTE, multinetwork devices, and other emerging technologies to deliver redundancy, resilience, and adaptability at the grid edge. Rather than adopting a one size fits all approach, leading utilities are aligning communications choices to specific use cases, from AMI and outage response to DER orchestration and real time grid optimization.
Panelists will share what has worked, what has not, and how integration challenges are being addressed across legacy and modern systems. Attendees will gain practical insight into how utilities are structuring communications strategies to improve reliability and operational agility today while preserving flexibility for future grid edge applications and evolving regulatory expectations.
