Cologne, November 21, 2017 – DVGW Cert, the independent certification body of the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water DVGW (Deutscher Verein des Gas- und Wasserfaches), certified the first two smart meters based on version 4 of the OMS specification, smart meters by Landis+Gyr and by Itron.

Generation 4 of the Open Metering System (OMS) communication system meets the requirements of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). It complies with the Technical Guideline BSI-TR 03109 that requires encryption and authentication with certificates.

The OMS Group's open communication standard for smart metering enables full compatibility with measurement devices from other manufacturers and different segments of the utilities industry (electricity, gas, thermal energy, water, sub-metering). The interoperability of OMS smart meters is tested by the DVGW Cert using the OMS test specification.

“The certification of OMS meters is an important milestone in the push for plug and play compatibility,” says Jürgen Frech, Head of the Customer Support Service Center of Landis+Gyr in Nuremberg, Germany, and member of the Executive Board of OMS-Group. “Coupling and integrating different energy sectors is an important leverage to enhance the energy transition. The OMS standard for smart metering provides an ideal technical basis for coupling energy sectors. All OMS devices speak the same language and receivers or gateways can understand what these devices are communicating without having to use additional drivers.”

Several manufacturers have implemented the Generation 4 OMS specification in their devices. More smart meters will soon be certified according to OMS Generation 4: products by Qundis, Diehl Metering, E. Wehrle and another smart meter by Landis+Gyr have already passed the tests of the certification body and will soon also be listed in the directories of DVGW Cert and on the website of the OMS-Group.

In Germany, the OMS specification is required for the wireless Local Metrological Network (LMN) interface by the Technical Guideline BSI-TR 03109. Smart meters in Germany are to be connected to a system consisting of an electricity meter and a smart meter gateway (SMGW). However, smart meters according to OMS Generation 4 are not only relevant for Germany, they can also be used internationally.