Welcome Your New Expert Interview Series: Jean Jones, New Expert in the Digital Utility Group – [an Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Expert Interview]

In this interview, we explore Jean’s background, her perspective on the future of utility connectivity, and how emerging technologies are shaping the industry.

Let’s dive in!

Matt Chester: Thanks for agreeing to be a part of our Expert Network, the exclusive ‘club’ of members who are available to share their deep insights, to answer questions, and to elevate the Energy Central Community. To best highlight why you’re a fit for this, I’d love if you could share a bit about your background, how you got involved in this industry, and what your role is today with Anterix.

Jean Jones: In my role as a technology marketing strategist and content specialist, I’ve spent many years developing content and information that explains the value of LTE and 5G for transforming entire  industries, covering all aspects including the core of the network, access, and endpoint solutions. I’ve helped many different industries realize the value of private LTE wireless networks including government, healthcare, industry, and other segments. 

By far, the utility sector has been the most rewarding to work with, thanks to their collaborative nature and keen interest in learning and sharing knowledge with each other in support of such a critical mission: the modernization of the electric grid. It’s been amazing to be a part of an industry that enjoys supporting each other toward a common goal that’s so important to our entire nation.

At Anterix, I’m focused on helping to educate utilities and our Anterix Active Ecosystem members on the benefits of building and managing their own private wireless broadband networks.  My goal is to help accelerate grid modernization, empowering utilities with the expertise and tools to simplify the transition and realize the benefits—including better operational control of the communications network, the ability to rapidly scale the number of grid endpoints while improving the experience for customers.

MC: Where do you see connectivity for utilities taking the grid in the next five years? 

JJ: Grid modernization is becoming more critical as the need arises to respond to extreme weather events and rapidly integrate a diverse set of grid endpoints with integrated AI capabilities onto the network. 

An important aspect of grid evolution is deploying and managing wireless broadband communications networks. 900 MHz licensed spectrum, with its ability to propagate radio signals for long distances, delivers the best and most cost-effective mix of flexibility, capacity and performance.  It’s also the choice made by an increasing number of utilities, in 15 states across the country, as the foundation of their communications network. 

Technologies and solutions supporting the 900 MHz wireless broadband ecosystem are evolving rapidly. Recent advancements in chipsets, industrial LTE gateways, mobility handsets, LTE modules, sensors, and modems are bringing about new utility-centric solutions, applications, and use cases. With the help of our Anterix Active Ecosystem, now over 125 members strong,  use cases are rapidly emerging to support the most critical needs of the electric grid – particularly security, wildfire prevention and mitigation, AMI 2.0, and DER integration, among other new solutions enabled by connectivity.  Through the Anterix Active Ecosystem badge program, we are helping to accelerate time to market for new use cases and solutions, by validating devices and solutions for use on the 900 MHz private wireless broadband network.

The primary drivers for many of these new use cases include the need for real-time, low-latency processing with the ability to provide analytics and intelligence from sensor endpoints. In the next 5 years, I believe that the industry will see these emerging use cases deployed and become operational in utility networks, with measurable impacts on utility network performance metrics.

MC: What tools and tactics do utilities need to harness private LTE most effectively, accelerating time to value?

JJ: As the number of endpoints and field devices continues to grow exponentially, one of the critical aspects of grid modernization will be how best to simplify the management and monitoring of these devices. Fortunately, many LTE standards-based tools enable the network to efficiently handle the endpoints and higher volumes of data driven by new applications like AMI 2.0  With these tools, the utility will be able to manage the data, forecasting, and analytics of the network load and resources to empower utilities with the control they need.

With the Anterix CatalyX ® platform, we help simplify connectivity management by integrating state-of-the-art SIM technology, device SIM management, and private-to-public roaming. Through the Connectivity Manager dashboard, CatalyX provides the control and visibility of devices, whether they are connected to a private or public network. CatalyX can support each utility’s private LTE journey by accelerating the onboarding of devices during the deployment of the network, extending private network coverage in gap areas, and providing back-up connectivity during private network downtime.

MC: How is private LTE already reshaping the energy landscape? 

JJ: Today’s energy realities—including distributed intermittent generation, bi-directional energy flow, and EVs— are forcing change in the utility industry. To maximize their energy grids’ capabilities, utilities need to control their communications network and devices to ensure network security, performance, prioritization of critical traffic, unfettered access to devices, and prioritization of service restoration.

Collectively, utilities are under increasing pressure to act to ensure their critical infrastructure is ready to meet future requirements for grid modernization, resilience, security, and clean energy. Foundational communications networks play a key role in helping utilities to meet challenges while also mitigating risks, increasing customer satisfaction, and improving operational metrics.

Utilities have a long history of installing and operating their own communications systems.  From distance relay protection on transmission lines and mobile radios, to large SCADA and corporate data networks, communications are a vital link in chain-of-system control that utilities must maintain, especially across field operations. To achieve that control, they build, own, and operate communications systems on a foundation that includes fiber, digital microwave, and commercial (or public) networks. 

However, utilities only can truly ensure the coverage, performance, reliability, resiliency, and cyber security of these networks when they have end-to-end control. Private LTE wireless technology is a natural step in that direction because utilities can design a private wireless broadband network that works with their current system and expands upon its benefits. With a private LTE network, utilities can communicate more securely with devices anywhere in their service territory and control the devices allowed onto that network. They also can design their private LTE network to withstand long power outages, enhance it against natural disasters, and reinforce it to prevent cyberattacks. Built on a global standard, private LTE networks open the door to a future in which sensors, controls, and advanced technology can be installed anywhere on the grid. 

A private wireless broadband network is becoming an integral part of the utility critical data infrastructure to support increased data speeds, capacity, and security needed to operate modern, safe, and resilient utility infrastructure. 

MC: How are utilities preparing for the rapid growth at the grid edge, and what role does AI play? 

JJ: AI plays a critical role in opening up new opportunities for the utility sector to accelerate the path to grid modernization and effectively capitalize on these opportunities while managing risks. It has the potential to enhance workforce productivity and safety, grid planning, and large-scale power flow analysis, as well as to improve business processes and the management and maintenance of assets. In order to manage risks, AI should be implemented together with a comprehensive security and resiliency plan.

Integrating AI within a secure, private broadband network can allow utilities to tailor their systems to generate a host of potential benefits:

• Improving utility operations with automation, like the ability to monitor, detect, and recognize operational issues before they cause costly delays and shutdowns.
• Supporting the growth of distributed resources and bi-directional energy flows.
• Improving customer service by providing data intelligence on IOT devices, AMI 2.0, and potential revenue-generating business models.
• Helping to monitor the grid for potential cybersecurity threats. AI-enabled grid infrastructure can rapidly detect and respond to security breaches, enhancing grid resilience.
• Reducing maintenance and repair costs.
• Supporting the path to energy disaggregation, increasing the efficiency of managing energy.

MC: What’s a final piece of insight you’d like to leave our Energy Central audience with?   

JJ: As many of you know, on January 15, 2025, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to modify the 900 MHz rules. The proposed rules would provide flexibility to grow the 900 MHz broadband segment from 3 MHz by 3 MHz (or 3×3) to 5 MHz by 5 MHz (or 5×5).  This proposed expansion to permit 5×5 MHz broadband provides the optionality of more spectrum to support the demand for wide-area, private and secure wireless broadband for utilities critical infrastructure. The FCC’s decision to advance the Petition submitted by ten organizations—Ameren, Enterprise Wireless Alliance, Evergy, Lower Colorado River Authority, Portland General Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern Company’s Southern Linc, Utility Broadband Alliance, Xcel Energy, and Anterix—signals strong recognition of the 900 MHz private utility broadband movement’s vision and the capabilities of modern grid-enabling communications.

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Thanks to Jean for joining me for this interview and providing a wealth of insights and expertise to the Energy Central Community. You can trust that Jean will be available for you to reach out and connect and ask questions as an Energy Central member, so be sure to make her feel welcome when you see her across the platform.

Other expert interviews in this series can be read here, and if you are interested in becoming an expert, you can reach out to me or  apply here.