Wi-SUN Alliance Membership Continues to Grow

Wi-SUN Alliance today announced that its membership has reached 30 companies. Companies who have recently joined as Contributor members include Access Company, CM Engineering, Exegin Technologies, ISB Corporation, Osaka Gas, Rohde & Schwartz, Semtech, Silicon Laboratories, and Toshiba Corporation. Toshiba Corporation has been selected by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) as a main partner company for their Smart Meter Systems. TEPCO plans to introduce smart meters into up to 27 million homes in the next decade.

Toshiba Corporation is also a board member of the ECHONET consortium developing the standard for Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS) technology. Wi-SUN Alliance and the ECHONET Consortium have signed an agreement to jointly develop the complete specification for wireless HEMS including Smart Meters. Toshiba is taking a leading role for this new specification, which is in final stage and will soon be published for Wi-SUN Members.

“Wi-SUN Alliance expresses warmest welcome to our new members“, said Dr Hiroshi Harada of NICT, co-chair of the Board of Directors and a founder member of the Wi-SUN Alliance, “We look forward to Toshiba’s support with both the HEMS profile and future profiles.”

“Wi-SUN Alliance’s focus on defining and validating the communications systems for Interoperable Smart Utility Networks is key to our continuing growth”, said Phil Beecher, Chair of Wi-SUN Alliance, “our members include a wide range of companies and organizations including silicon vendors, equipment manufacturers, communications software developers and Utility companies all with the common purpose of developing interoperable smart utility network products. We congratulate Toshiba Corporation in their selection by TEPCO and look forward to supporting them within Wi-SUN Alliance.

The Wi-SUN Alliance is an association of companies working together to enable reliable, cost-effective, low-power, wireless Smart Utility products based on an open global standard IEEE 802.15.4g. The Wi-SUN Alliance membership comprises solution providers and original equipment manufacturers worldwide. Membership is open to all corporations.