STMicroelectronics introduces flexible, future-proof smart meter communication solutions to help power the energy transition

     STMicroelectronics' ST85MM programmable Powerline Communications (PLC) modem natively supports field-proven Meters and More and PRIME 1.4 smart grid standards for upcoming multiprotocol smart meters, More and Prime 1.4 Smart Grid Standards for upcoming Multiprotocol smart meters, To improve the flexibility of processing electricity data. Available in 7mm x 7mm QFN56 package.

     The energy transition is everywhere, changing the "role" of the meter, with increasingly intelligent grids and new stakeholders placing greater demands on the amount of information and access to electricity consumption data. With long-standing and close relationships with major utilities in Europe and around the world, ST is well positioned in Meters and More and PRIME technologies, with more than 60 million such meters installed based on ST solutions. With this experience, ST has now produced ST85MM programmable modems that support field-proven Meters and More and PRIME technologies.

     Domenico Arrigo, General Manager of ST's Application-Specific Products (ASP) division, said: "The market demand for smart meters is changing, requiring meters to support new production and marketing models. Our new modem lays the foundation for the future development of meters, leveraging our market-proven PLC system-on-chip architecture and our experience as a key member of all major industry standardization promotion consortiums."

     The ST85MM features a programmable DSP and Arm® Cortex-M4 core, is capable of running Meters and More or PRIME protocols, and integrates a full PLC analog front end, as well as a dedicated advanced encryption engine for complete secure communication. STLD1 line driver IC is used with ST85MM to complete the PLC communication function of smart meter design.

     In addition to the latest protocol features, ST is one of the first companies in the market to announce PRIME 1.4 Hybrid PLC and RF certification for Base Node. This hybrid communication solution integrates a powerline modem with an S2-LP ultra-low power RF transceiver, leveraging the benefits of both powerline and wireless connectivity technologies.