Australia’s most successful broadband router provider, Billion, is unveiling its range of Smart Grid technology solutions, aimed at Australia’s electricity industry, at this year’s CeBIT trade show in Sydney.

Available nationally through Billion’s Australian distributor PCRange, Billion Smart Grid technology allows intelligent automation of existing power generation and grid infrastructure to deliver two-way communication between households or businesses and utility companies. This automated data exchange allows both consumers and power companies to measure and manage energy consumption more efficiently.

For the past year, Billion has invested heavily in research and development to design and deliver Smart Grid solutions to meet the strong international demand for technology that allows power companies and consumers to manage proactively their use and consumption of electricity.

After successful interoperability tests in North America and China, Billion is using CeBIT 2010 to unveil its Smart Grid solutions which use advanced technologies such as Power Line Communication (PLC) for:

• Home Area Networks: Using PLC devices as well as ZigBee*-based gateways and peripherals
• Smart Metering: Advanced Metering Infrastructure with embedded PLC modules
• Data Collection and Transmission: Medium-voltage nodes and low-voltage concentrators
• Management Centres: Security gateways, access controllers.

Billion is a widely-recognised and respected brand in Australia where its range of wireless, ADSL and 3G routers is used extensively to provide broadband communications for businesses and individuals throughout the country. For four years in a row, Billion has claimed the title of the country’s most popular broadband hardware by topping the Australian Broadband Survey for 2006 to 2009.

PCRange General Manager Stewart Goodier said Billion was uniquely positioned in the Asia Pacific to deliver affordable Smart Grid solutions. “The Smart Grid technology wave is starting to build,” he said.

“As well as consumers wanting greener power and lower electricity costs, demand is driven by governments pursuing ways to reduce carbon emissions and utility companies seeking to manage demand peaks more efficiently to reduce the risk of power blackouts and the pressure to build more power stations.

“Billion has designed world-leading technology to meet this need for affordable Smart Grid technology. With its self-developed technology strength in networking communication and power supply and its manufacturing capabilities, Billion can provide everything from contract services and built-in modules to entire product units.”

* ZigBee is a specification for high level communication protocols designed to use small, low-power digital radios based on the IEEE 802.15.4-2003 standard for wireless personal area networks.

More about Billion Australia at www.billion.com.au.

About PCRange www.pcrange.com.au

PCRange is the exclusive Australian distributor for technology convergence products including:

• Billion broadband networking devices
• Minitar wireless networking devices
• AXIMCom 3G/P2P wireless routers and 3G travel mobile routers
• Withings WiFi Body Scale.

Billion at a glance

Billion Electric Co. Ltd. (Taiex: 3027, trading as BILLION) is founded in Taiwan in 1973 and has grown to be one of the leading providers of network equipment and power supply products in the Asia Pacific. With the establishment of the Communication Division, Billion has reinforced its commitment to developing next-generation network equipment and Internet access devices to meet the needs of home users, telecommuters, SOHOs and SMBs around the globe. Billion has received a number of awards for its networking products and has acquired a considerable customer base across Europe, America, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific. Since March 2009, Billion’s Power Division has added its investment in R&D and manufacturing of Smart Grid business in addition to the power supply products. This division has been officially re-named the "Power and Energy Management Division" (PEM Division) to illustrate Billion’s long-term focus on “Green” product development. With the supply of Smart Grid to reduce carbon emissions resulting in more energy-saving products, Billion aims to contribute to environmental protection and green planet. For more information, please visit www.billion.com.

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