ABB's New A3 ALPHA Electronic Revenue Meter Offers Full ANSI Open Protocol Implementation.

RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 19, 2000

The New A3 ALPHA Meter Extends Features of ABB's

ALPHA(R) Meter Line; New ANSI Meter to be On Display

During AMRA Show in Booth No. 229

ABB Electricity Metering Tuesday introduced the A3 ALPHA(R) meter, the newest member of the ALPHA(R) family of high accuracy, revenue grade electronic meters.

The A3 ALPHA meter meets or exceeds all applicable ANSI standards, including the new ANSI standards for communications protocol (ANSI C12.18) and for end device data tables (ANSI C12.19). The ANSI Communication Protocols provide an open standard for optical port and telephone communications and form the basis for common industry data structures and a common industry "vocabulary" for meter data communications.

"The A3 ALPHA meter offers the most complete implementation of the ANSI communication protocols and data structures of any other meter," explained Dr. John Reckleff, executive vice president and general manager of ABB Electricity Metering. "Use of this open standard for meter data communications will give our customers the opportunity to reduce their operating costs by removing the obstacles currently faced when proprietary communications protocols must be integrated into meter reading systems. This should result in quicker AMR system implementations and eventually provide more overall system options in the marketplace."

The A3 ALPHA meter also includes optional features for advanced bi-directional energy measurement making it an excellent solution for substation and inter-tie metering, while affordable enough in its standard configuration to be used on all commercial and industrial applications. Up to 32 channels of instrumentation data may be recorded, enabling users to economically obtain critical system performance data without the need for expensive dedicated monitoring equipment.

The A3 ALPHA meter offers all of the standard features and functions that users have come to expect in the ALPHA family of products, including wide voltage range operation (120V to 480V), ANSI Form consolidation and easy functional upgrades via a combination of hardware and software options. The A3 ALPHA meter's accurate and reliable meter data comes from ABB's patented ALPHA meter technology that is currently used in over two million ABB ALPHA meters installed around the world.

The A3 ALPHA meter has been designed for easy integration into emerging AMR communications systems. The A3 ALPHA will support the existing communications options already offered in the ALPHA family of products, including internal telephone modem, RS232 and RS485.

ABB will be accepting orders for the A3 ALPHA meter in November. For more information, contact ABB Electricity Metering at 919/212-4800 or via e-mail at [e-mail].

ABB Electricity Metering of Raleigh, N.C. (http://www.abb.com/metering), a unit of ABB, creates information technology solutions and infrastructure for meters and meter data management systems.

ABB, with U.S. headquarters in Norwalk, Conn., serves customers in automation; power transmission and distribution; oil, gas and petrochemicals; building technologies; and financial services. U.S. operations employ over 16,000 people at manufacturing and other facilities in 40 states (http://www.abb.com/us). Worldwide, ABB Group reported revenues of $25 billion in 1999. With novel IT applications, tailored software solutions, growing eBusiness, and a fast-expanding knowledge and service base, ABB is building links to the new economy. The ABB Group employs about 160,000 people in more than 100 countries.