E.ON Elnät Sverige AB announced a step to enhance their ability to glean real intelligence from smart grid data. E.ON, part of one of the largest private energy companies in the world, announced that they will be using Ericsson’s hosted solution including consulting and systems integration services, harnessing big data and smart grid solutions for its customers.

The solution is an important step towards real-time big data measurements, supplying E.ON’s customers with accurate and up-to-date information on energy consumption. The evolution of smart grids is a priority in a number of countries, including EU and the US, and will eventually create a smart energy network that manages a huge amount of data in 24-hour intervals.

Ericsson’s solution will gather data from energy meters and provide collected data to E.ON’s internal IT environment. Data will be exported daily rather than monthly, increasing data delivery by 3000 percent. Ericsson will also provide E.ON with related field services. The agreement stretches over the next five years, and includes more than 600,000 metering points in northern Stockholm, Malmö, Örebro, as well as Norrköping and Skåne.

The Ericsson Smart Metering solution, provided as a service, helps providers like E.ON become more efficient. The solution combines managed services, consulting and systems integration services and includes meter reading and control, meter management, meter monitoring, Service Layer Agreement (SLA) management, work force management, asset management, business process management, as well as field services and an operations center.

This will open new opportunities for efficient grid and consumption management as well as a seamless integration of locally produced renewable energy into the infrastructure.

Currently regulations within the European Union require utilities, or Distribution System Operators, to deploy smart metering in order to ensure the first steps towards Smart Grids and more efficient energy usage.