Tropos Networks (News - Alert), a provider of private wireless IP broadband networks for Smart Grid, announced the City of Fort Collins Utilities selected Tropos GridCom as the communications infrastructure for its Advanced Meter Project AMI data backhaul and aggregation of smart grid applications.

As part of the smart grid initiative, Fort Collins Utilities will be installing Elster EnergyAxis electric and water meters in order to migrate all its customers to AMI over the next two years.

“A crucial element in our Advanced Meter Project is a highly reliable broadband communications infrastructure,” said Steve Catanach, Light and Power manager for Fort Collins Utilities, in a statement. “The Tropos GridCom network has the resilience, capacity and security that will enable us to leverage it for a wide range of Smart Grid applications.”

Moreover, the company will be using Elster's EnergyAxis Gatekeeper as the metering LAN to connect smart power and water meters. The Tropos solution will help extend services across City of Fort Collins Utilities' service territory, providing wireless broadband backhaul from the metering LAN to the utilities' existing fiber network.

“Fort Collins Utilities is an example of how a secure, scalable and reliable wireless communications system can enable many applications and provide tangible benefits to utilities' and their customers, making utility operations more cost-effective and improving the service delivered to customers,” said Tom Ayers, president and chief executive officer, Tropos Networks.

Recently, Tropos Networks and Itron, a provider of end-to-end smart grid and smart distribution solutions to electric, gas and water utilities, announced that they will be offering a jointly developed smart grid solution to Avista Corp. Avista offers gas, electricity and related solutions to business and residential customers throughout North America.