Universal Powerline Association (UPA) & U-SNAP Alliance Develop Partnership To Collaborate On Providing Smart Grid Consumer Product Solutions

London, UK - The Universal Powerline Association (UPA), a leading industry consortium involved in the global education and promotion of Open and Interoperable Powerline communication technologies; and the U-SNAP (Utility Smart Network Access Port) Alliance recently announce the signing of agreements that jointly foster collaboration and education among utilities, AMI suppliers, HAN vendors, industry consultants, academics and regulators who seek interoperable, secure and cost effective solutions for extending the Smart Grid to energy aware consumer products.

The U-SNAP Alliance was formed by a group of utility industry leaders to create a low cost connector standard in order to enable consumer products the ability to communicate with any vendor's smart meter.

Under the agreement, the UPA and U-SNAP will cooperate with each other to support each group's activities and to share information to the mutual benefit of the two organizations' memberships and overall objectives. A primary focus will be on the creation of U-SNAP based powerline solutions for connecting U-SNAP devices over the grid to the meter and beyond.

"This collaboration will combine the technical and marketing capabilities of both organizations to successfully meet market challenges and to further enhance interoperable and coexistent powerline networking technologies for the benefit of consumers worldwide," stated Daniel Drolet, Chairman of the UPA.

"The U-SNAP Alliance looks forward to working closely with the UPA to ensure the support for, and promotion of, the bridging of UPA Global Powerline Technologies with U-SNAP Smart Grid and Energy Aware Consumer Products," said Jon Rappaport, Chairman of U-SNAP Alliance.

The UPA and U-SNAP Alliance will be announcing additional technical efforts & results in the coming weeks. Global Utilities, Appliance Manufacturers, Meter Manufacturers and other interested parties are invited to be a part of the effort by joining the UPA's Utility Commission. Retailers are also encouraged to participate through the UPA's Retail Advisory Council.

SOURCE: Universal Powerline Association