SATLYNX Completes 300 Site SCADA Network Rollout For EDF Energy

Satlynx, a GE company and a leading provider of satellite telecommunications announced today the completion of a 300 site SCADA network for EDF Energy Networks in the UK. The network is part of a larger improvement programme to monitor and control electricity distribution in the South East of England.

In a project already lasting more than 2 years, EDF Energy Networks and Satlynx have been working together to validate the use of satellite technology for the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) application that is used to collect data and control their electricity distribution network. Initially, the network was operated from Satlynx´s state–of–the–art teleport and network operating centre located in Backnang, Germany. The early rollout was a success and Satlynx was called upon to design and build a 7.6m antenna and hub facility at an EDF Energy Networks site in England. Construction was completed on time and the new hub and infrastructure came online at the end of 2007. Satlynx continue to maintain a fully redundant back–up system at their teleport in Germany whilst remotely managing the primary hub in the UK.

Implementing this network via satellite was essential as it enabled immediate coverage across the South East whilst giving EDF Energy Networks the option to extend the SCADA network to other new regions. The technology deployed utilises a TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) access scheme which shares the available bandwidth across hundreds and potentially thousands of sites, thereby giving a cost–effective solution. This choice of technology is also highly scalable, allowing for growth in both number of sites and bandwidth, should the size of the network or the nature of the application change.

Mark Fiske, Operational Telecoms Manager for EDF Energy Networks said: "We are committed to the improvement of our infrastructure and the control of our networks is as important as the switching and distribution itself. We chose satellite as a natural medium of transport for reliable control and monitoring of our network and we have not been disappointed from our experience of both the technical solution and in working with Satlynx."

Christian Stetter, VP Sales Satlynx, said: "The opportunity to work cooperatively with EDF Energy Networks has been both exciting and rewarding. We have taken a fundamental requirement through all stages of implementation to provide a fully functional and highly reliable system that will ensure EDF Energy Networks can continue to maintain and deliver a reliable and flexible electricity supply and distribution network".

"We have a very diverse customer base that uses satellite technology to implement a variety of applications, from gas station point–of–sale to government embassies and from commercial shipping to off–shore exploration. It is good to see another successful SCADA network for another satisfied Satlynx customer and on such a large scale".

About SATLYNX

Satlynx, a subsidiary of GE, is a leading provider of two–way satellite broadband communication services throughout the EMEA region. Satlynx solutions working for customers today include: multinational networks for logistical information sharing, credit card transactions and broadcast distribution; broadband internet access in remote areas beyond the reach of cable or ADSL; transportable, back–up and disaster recovery solutions; secure and world–wide connectivity for private point–to–point, meshed, video, voice and data networks. Satlynx provides customised solutions directly to large Enterprises and Institutions and with telecommunication operators, system integrators and via Europe´s largest network of specialist partners to SMEs. Satlynx has an unmatched depth of experience and know–how in both the technology and the operation of very large VSAT networks and provides services on a range of technology platforms and satellites. This combination gives customers possibilities unparalleled by any other operator, providing fast network connections virtually anywhere.

Additional information about Satlynx can be found at www.satlynx.com

About EDF Energy

EDF Energy is one of the UK´s largest energy companies. It provides power to a quarter of the UK´s population via its electricity distribution networks in London, the South East and the East of England. It supplies gas and electricity to more than five million customers and generates about 5GW of energy from its coal and gas power stations, as well as combined heat and power plants and wind farms. The company is also a key player in national infrastructure projects including management of private electricity networks serving four London airports and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, the country´s first major new railway in 100 years. It employs nearly 13,000 people at locations across the UK. EDF Energy is a core part of EDF Group, one of Europe´s largest power companies.

Additional information about EDF Energy can be found at www.edfenergy.com