Jim Morrish, the founding partner at Transforma Insights, speaks with Loic Bonvarlet, the senior vice president of Product and Marketing at Kigen, to discuss some of the latest developments with eSIM in the context of utilities, touching on private networks, in-factory profile provisioning, artificial intelligence and new contract wins with leading utilities.
Jim Morrish: This interview is nicely timed for Enlit 2025, a leading energy transition event and you’ll be there. What’s on your agenda?
Loic Bonvarlet: We’re showcasing how eSIM gives utilities the licence to achieve assured connectivity, the foundation on which trustworthy data and AI can scale. With Europe’s energy future front and centre, we’ll focus on how developments in Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and AMI 2.0 become genuinely workable on a pan-regional and national scale when secure identity and trust are designed in, and when utilities themselves own that foundation.
On the technical front, we’ll be discussing eSIM meter deployments beyond electricity into water and gas metering. These environments demand further consideration and take in our learnings from multiple metering vendors who have designed-in Kigen’s eSIM natively for their meters. A chain of IoT gateways, concentrators and controllers sits between the utility hub and each meter and that is often required to operate in remote, hard-to-service locations.
We’ll also showcase how network flexibility and policy-driven dynamic profile switchover between multiple public networks or across public coverage and utility private LTE help to keep these devices online without truck rolls. Visitors will see how manufacturers are already deploying multiple profiles in their metering solutions, engaging directly with us to maintain service continuity as conditions change.
We’re also bringing in-factory profile provisioning (IFPP) so Europe’s leading meter manufacturers can streamline supply. We’ll detail how they can achieve secure network embedding through our SGP.32 certified eSIM IoT remote manager (eIM), how we enable devices to ship network-ready, and how we facilitate devices to attach securely to the best available network. Everything we do is GSMA standards-based, such as SGP.32 for eSIM management and IFPP for manufacturing, and we’re ready to help teams deepen their familiarity with the standards that matter.
For anyone today looking at cleaner energy, more intelligence in the grid depends upon secure identity and trust and building those in early gives them the real edge to scale.
The benefits are not just limited to smart meters but also extend to arguably more critical aspects of utility networks including sub-station monitoring and overall grid management and optimisation.
JM: The private network aspect that you mentioned there is an interesting topic that is fast gaining traction. Can you expand a little bit on this topic?
LB: Certainly. As I mentioned earlier, coverage may not be available from public carriers in some of those remote areas in which a utility needs to connect devices, including smart meters but also potentially other grid assets. In these cases, some utilities are starting to deploy their own private cellular networks to ensure that they get the coverage that they need in the places that they need it. Private LTE/5G gives utilities local control, QoS and security for C&I sites, depots and rural feeders while public networks can serve closer to metropolitan areas.
Private networks also have evolved: the 900MHz and 450MHz LTE 410/450 MHz bands in parts of Europe offer wide cells and deep penetration for AMI 2.0. These go hand inhand with how eSIM technology has evolved. SGP.32 allows eSIMs to carry multiple network profiles – these can be for private networks, a combination of private and public profiles, or even include a satellite connectivity profile. We also have innovated to meet utility demands with the inclusion in our eSIM OS of a rescue and recovery capability, allowing dynamic, automatic policy-based switchover. With Kigen’s certified eIM, utilities can set business policies for preferred networks and performance thresholds such as latency, loss and signal quality. Devices then automatically switch between networks when conditions change – which is vital during storms, maintenance periods or expansion phases.
We’ve been fortunate to have learned from over 100 prime customers of our eIM solution, which includes notable leading companies across both manufacturers and utilities, making huge leaps in shaping grid modernization.
JM: So there’s an increasing momentum behind eSIM in the utilities industry?
LB: Definitely, yes, there is. Take for example, our recent collaboration with Itron, which sees our eSIM software stack deployed in-factory to ensure that smart meters are correctly configured, and can be tested, before they leave the factory. This is important because product managers today can scale solutions and accelerate product cycles without major infrastructure changes, but as cellular-connected devices move from prototype to production to field deployment, costs and risks can increase. Our IFPP transforms this by enabling software-defined provisioning, so eliminating SKU complexity and long lead times typical of a new IoT deployment. Manufacturers like Itron can now configure connectivity in-factory, simplifying manufacturing and supply chain management, prototype-to-production testing and field enablement.
JM: So, there’s clearly momentum on the hardware side, what about deployments in the field?
LB: A great example is Original Postress-releases/evergy-selects-kigen-esims-grid/" shape="rect">Evergy, one of the largest utilities in the US Midwest, serving 1.7 million customers across Kansas and Missouri. The company has adopted our eSIM OS and eIM technologies to unify private LTE and public networks into an automated connectivity layer, so enabling more reliable operations in the context of growing demand, increased complexity due to the incorporation of more distributed energy resources into the grid, and increasingly variable weather patterns. Our secure eSIM OS and SGP.32-compliant eIM solution give Evergy the flexibility to manage connectivity dynamically through eSIMs provisioned with multiple operator profiles. The solution also includes configurable features such as a network rescue and recovery applet, enabling dynamic and automated failover between private LTE and preferred public networks based on business rules.
But this is just the most recent example in a series of wins for us with eSIM. We also have a countrywide smart metering deployment supporting millions of smart meters, with Kigen eSIM OS natively embedded in meters from multiple leading EU energy providers. Our collaboration in Texas, where the Lower Colorado River Authority delivers water and power services to 68 counties over 70,000 square miles, has been recognised with multiple awards. LCRA has adopted our eSIM technology for its private LTE network, supporting both its own operations and also other users of the same system, including governmental and public safety entities, electric utilities, and schools and other public safety entities.
JM: Are there any benefits that can be unlocked beyond just connectivity?
LB: There certainly are, and many flow from the more homogenous and tightly managed data environments that eSIM enables. For example, the latest SGP.32 standard eSIM architecture finally enables non-SMS protocols for secure profile routing. Typically, this has been a challenge for constrained IoT devices – the likes of which exist in their millions within metering and in the grid. For utilities, Kigen eSIM can even enable the profile delivery for smart metering communication via DLMS/COSEM which is prevalent in various utility meters and head-end systems.
DLMS/COSEM encompasses application layer services and a structured model for smart metering data and is indispensable for integrating EV and distributed energy resources within a smart grid solution. This saves costs across field updates and operations.
The benefits of a more seamless data environment within a smart grid extend considerably beyond such baseline capabilities. For instance, more transparent data environments allow the development and deployment of more effective business rules such as for managing ‘micro events’ where connectivity may be lost for only a short period of time. And, of course, well-documented and transparent data environments provide a far better environment for the deployment of a wide range of AI-enabled enhancements.
JM: Ah, AI. Artificial intelligence is definitely today’s zeitgeist. Could you expand a little on how utility grids can incorporate AI into their operations?
LB: AI is revolutionising utility smart grids by making them more efficient, reliable and sustainable. AI-driven systems can analyse vast amounts of data from smart meters, sensors and external sources such as weather forecasts to predict electricity demand and balance supply in real-time. This helps utilities prevent blackouts, reduce waste and optimise energy flows across the network.
One of AI’s biggest advantages is enabling what are termed ‘self-healing’ grids, which are systems that can automatically detect faults, reroute power and restore service after disruptions. AI can also be used to manage energy storage, for example, deciding when to charge or discharge batteries based on demand forecasts and market prices. AI can also be used to predict the output of variable renewable generation sources, including solar and wind, to help stabilise the grid in the context of ever-changing and locally variable weather conditions.
Predictive maintenance is another major benefit enabled by AI, so that signs of wear can be detected before failures occur. On the consumer side, AI can underpin demand response programmes and even generate personalised energy-saving insights. AI can even be used to strengthen grid cybersecurity by spotting irregularities that may signal attacks or fraud.
JM: Do you see eSIM capabilities as key to enabling the future utilities industry?
LB: Definitely, yes. Europe’s energy future is dependent on how we simplify integration and establish a foundation for advanced grid capabilities like distributed intelligence, energy forecasting, distributed energy resource management, advanced analytics, and AI. eSIM plays a transformative role supporting utilities to reduce project complexity, accelerate deployment, and achieve a lower the total cost of ownership. This investment in eSIM de-risks many of the capital intensive phases: enabling flexibility in network access and metering manufacturing. Combined with AI, eSIM-driven smart grids enhance reliability, unlock smarter, self-healing and more sustainable energy systems for diverse environments and evolving demands. Without eSIM, achieving these things would be more challenging.
To learn more about how the smart meter industry is utilising eSIMs, read the new Market Report here
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