Bahamas Electricity Corporation Becomes Leader in Metering Technology with New Country-Wide AMR Tools.Business & Energy Editors SPOKANE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 13, 2004 Itron AMR (1) (Adaptive Multi-Rate) A variable rate speech codec selected by the 3GPP for the 3G evolution of the GSM cellphone system (WCDMA). Using the Algebraic CELP (ACELP) compression technology, AMR provides toll quality sound at transmission rates from 4.75 to 12. Solution Improves Customer Service and Signals Regional Investment Trend in Advanced Technology Itron Inc. (Nasdaq:ITRI ITRI Industrial Technology Research Institute (Taiwan, ROC) ITRI Information Technology Research Institute ITRI Inhalation Toxicology Research Institute ITRI International Tin Research Institute Ltd ITRI Information Technology Reuse Initiative ) announced today an agreement with the Bahamas Electricity Corporation The Bahamas Electricity Corporation - (BEC) is a government corportion that provides electricity to all of the Bahama Islands except for Grand Bahama. The current Minister in charge is the Minister of Public Works and Utilities, the Hon. (BEC) for the deployment of 100,000 Itron electric Automatic Meter Reading Automatic meter reading, or AMR, is the technology of automatically collecting data from water meter or energy metering devices (water, gas, electric) and transferring that data to a central database for billing and/or analyzing. (AMR) devices and a mobile collector system. The total contract, valued at more than $8 million (US), represents an investment in meter data collection technology that will significantly improve BEC's ability to accurately collect, measure and monitor energy use. Itron's AMR system will enable BEC to significantly improve its field service operations and provide better customer service to New Providence New Providence, city, United States New Providence, borough (1990 pop. 11,439), Union co., NE N.J.; settled c.1720, set off and inc. 1899. It is largely residential but has some light industry. Roses and fruit are grown there commercially. Island and the Family Islands. "Our investment in Itron's AMR technology benefits our customers tremendously, allowing us to provide more accurate, faster, regular and reliable readings," said Al Jarrett, BEC Executive Chairman. "It also increases our revenue for future investments as the technology advances." "When Itron's AMR technology is fully deployed, we anticipate improved billing efficiencies of more than 50 percent and additional revenues as high as $15 million," added Jarrett. "The savings will be passed on to BEC customers and reinvested in new technology." Steve Helmbrecht, Vice President of Itron, International, said BEC will be the first utility in the Caribbean Basin The Caribbean Basin is generally defined as the area running from Florida westward along the Gulf coast, then south along the Mexican coast through Central America and then eastward across the northern coast of South America. to fully deploy AMR technology across its service territory. "This agreement reflects BEC's commitment to the use of advanced metering technology to optimize the delivery and use of energy," said Helmbrecht. "Utilities across the Caribbean Basin are seeing the value of implementing meter reading technology to improve customer service, energy distribution and workforce management Workforce Management (WFM) encompasses all the responsibilities for maintaining a productive and happy workforce. Sometimes referred to as HRMS systems, or even the larger ERP systems (Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP). There are many software vendors within this space. ." "We're finding that when utilities choose to invest in new meter data collection systems, they select the most advanced technology available. As a result, they are creating world-class utility companies with the ability to integrate and optimize a wide range of business operations Business operations are those activities involved in the running of a business for the purpose of producing value for the stakeholders. Compare business processes. The outcome of business operations is the harvesting of value from assets ." BEC gains improved efficiency from deploying a mobile AMR system and investing in the island's infrastructure and services. This complements a national initiative in the Bahamas to effectively drive for new business and tourism growth. "BEC's goal is to position the Bahamas on the leading edge with the most competitive service," said Jarrett. "By aligning with Itron, we can take advantage of latest technologies as they are developed." About Itron Based in Spokane, Wash., Itron is a leading technology provider and critical source of knowledge to the global energy and water industries. Almost 3,000 utilities worldwide rely on Itron technology to deliver the knowledge they require to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Itron delivers value to its clients by providing industry-leading solutions for meter data collection, energy information management, demand side management and response, load forecasting, analysis and consulting services, transmission and distribution system design and optimization, web-based workforce automation, C&I customer care and residential energy management. To know more, start here: www.itron.com. About Bahamas Electricity Corporation Established as a public corporation in 1956, the Bahamas Electricity Corporation today is one of the leading corporations in the Bahamas, with assets of more than $600 million. Based in Nassau, BEC generates and provides electricity to islands across the Bahamian archipelago Archipelago (ärkĭpĕl`əgō) [Ital., from Gr.=chief sea], ancient name of the Aegean Sea, later applied to the numerous islands it contains. The word now designates any cluster of islands. , excluding Grand Bahama Grand Bahama: see Bahamas. and Inagua. BEC operates generating plants on New Providence as well as the other Islands. |
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