Power Utility Implements Multi-Service Ethernet Platform at NIPCO

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Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative (NIPCO) talks about how they use TC Communication's JumboSwitch

As Power Utilities continue to migrate to Ethernet, many continue to use both Ethernet and SONET for their communication network needs.

Because of its extensive hands-on experience with both SONET and Ethernet, Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative (NIPCO) has successfully taken advantage of each technology's strengths.

Recently, NIPCO simplified its network by putting most of its Ethernet traffic on a common platform by using TC Communication's JumboSwitch® Multi-Service Ethernet Switch.

NIPCO installed its first SONET ring network in the mid 1990s and its first redundant ring gigabit Ethernet network about six years ago. Today, it uses a combination of Ethernet, microwave and SONET for its communications transport including:

  • A Gigabit Ethernet backbone as its primary communications network for SCADA, substation and office applications.
  • An OC-3 SONET system for T1s and as a network back-up.
  • An OC-48 SONET for network back-up and T1/T3 to customers on the western Iowa corridor (Omaha to Sioux City, IA, to Sioux Falls, SD).
  • A microwave network for connecting remote substations to the primary network via T1 circuits.

These communication technologies complement each other in many ways, according to Keith Schiltz, NIPCO's Metering, Digital SCADA and Telecommunications Services Manager. "Depending on the application, both SONET and Ethernet work well" he said. "And, depending on the cards, both offer an on ramp and an off ramp."

Full Case Study Read Here: Iowa Utility (NIPCO) Deploys JumboSwitch® Multi-Service Ethernet Platform

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