Ireland's electricity provider ESB Networks has kickstarted the development of a private mobile network.

The organisation awarded a contract for the project which will see Sigma Wireless Communications work with Nokia to supply and install the new LTE Core Network and Radio Access Network over a three-year period. The network is expected to be live from Q4 2023.

This follows from a 2019 decision by ComReg to award a 15-year licence for radio spectrum to ESB Networks. In its recently published Networks for Net Zero strategy, ESB Networks set out ambitious plans to develop the electricity network of the future which will be supported by a dedicated smart-grid telecommunication system.

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Welcoming the development, Nicholas Tarrant, ESB Networks Managing Director, said: "An ever-smarter and agile electricity network is key to delivery of a more sustainable future, with the customer at its core. The purpose-built private telecommunications network now being developed will be a key enabler in delivering integration of renewable energy to the grid, decarbonisation of the electricity network and the electrification of heat and transport amongst other benefits. As such, this private, reliable and secure mobile network will be an indispensable precursor to delivering a Net Zero-ready electricity network."