Itron Makes Inroads in Austria with OpenWay® Smart Grid Solution

LIBERTY LAKE, Wash. — Feb.13, 2014 — Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), a world-leading technology and services company dedicated to the resourceful use of energy and water, announced today that it has signed a contract to deliver its OpenWay smart grid solution in Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg AG, energy supplier for 260,000 customers in the province of Salzburg, will utilize the solution for an IPv6 pilot project. The solution includes Itron and Cisco's jointly designed Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)-based architecture which meets the technical and business requirements of utilities in many European countries.

The Fachhochschule Salzburg University of Applied Science (FHS-S) and the Technical University of Graz (TUG) will also participate in the pilot project as a partner of Salzburg AG.Over the next year, the project aims to test and evaluate the robustness of the new IP-based technology, which ensures interoperability and interchangeability, and help Salzburg AG understand its impact on utility operations. With the Itron smart grid solution, Salzburg AG will test smart grid use cases, including remote service switch capabilities, on-demand meter reading and network resiliency. In addition, it will help Salzburg AG take an important initial step in meeting European and national mandates requiring 95 percent of meters be "smart" in Austria by 2019.

As a part of the project, Itron will install its IPv6-enabled smart meters and Cisco's Connected Grid Routers, and provide hosted environments for meter data management software and Cisco's Network Management System. Salzburg AG and FHS-S will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the solution, Itron will be responsible for the establishment, maintenance and monitoring of the network testing environments.

"Itron's smart grid solution is the only IP-based solution that aligns with our smart grid vision. We look forward to evaluating the solution and realizing the benefits of a robust, secure, multi-service smart grid network," said Thomas Rieder, head of smart metering at Salzburg AG. "We have worked with Itron for a number of years and we are pleased to be working with a company that we know and trust on this important project."

"Itron is excited to work with Salzburg AG on one of the first IPv6 deployments in Europe. With the multiservice IPv6 smart grid network, they will benefit from true 'plug-and-play' interoperability and increased quality of service," said Mark de Vere White, president of Itron's electricity business unit. "With smarter technologies, we are helping utilities use resources more wisely to create a resourceful world for us all."