The leading provider of high performance mixed signal and standard product solutions NXP Semiconductors (News - Alert) recently teamed up with renowned energy management solutions provider Landis+Gyr to showcase smart meters with integrated NFC technology at the Metering Europe event, held in Amsterdam from Oct. 4-6.

NFC wireless technology helps connect NFC-enabled devices, such as smart meters, with smartphone and other connected devices. The technology enables authorized utilities and end-consumers to conveniently access and read smart meter data in real time using a smartphone.

“NFC opens up new possibilities for the smart grid,” Head of Platforms & Innovation EMEA at Landis+Gyr Daniel Lauk explained in a statement. “It will enable secure, bi-directional communication between metering points and utilities, as well as between smart meters and end-consumers.”

“We can also envision cost-effective NFC solutions tailored specifically for local market needs – from enabling secure pre-payment via NFC-enabled phones to equipping consumers with mobile apps for personal energy management,” he added. “We welcome customer feedback on the use cases we're demonstrating together with NXP as we continue to explore new innovations in smart metering.”

The smart meter demonstrator, which integrates the Landis+Gyr E350 modular electricity meter and the NXP PN512 contactless transceiver IC supporting NFC, was featured at the show.

At the demonstration, visitors got to enjoy a visual display of NFC use cases. The demonstrations were presented to give an idea as to how to use an NFC phone to replace the LCD display in smart metering devices, for cost savings and convenience.

The demonstration showed how the NFC enabled handsets can secure pairing of devices to enable home area network (HAN) communication.

The NFC smart meter demonstrator also showed how NFC handsets can be used to visualize current and historical energy consumption based on data stored in the meter via a mobile app.

The demonstration shed light on how the NFC handsets can be used to protect the privacy of individual households. This system will help provide the appropriate level of access for installation and service technicians.

In addition, the system will allow the authorized maintenance technicians to download metering information to handsets or tablets, or upload firmware if required to the meter via NFC.

NXP and Landis+Gyr also discussed how NFC phones can be used for secure and convenient pre-payment of electricity and other utilities, alongside contactless cards.

Both Landis+Gyr and NXP are active in supporting US and EU-driven initiatives to establish smart grids.

Last month, NXP Semiconductors introduced the NTAG203 NFC Forum (News - Alert)-compliant Type 2 tag, the newest family of integrated circuits to enhance the deployment of NFC tags for OEMs, inlay customers and end users.