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Electric utilities

PSE&G and AT&T Announce Plan for Interactive Customer Communications System

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

PSE&G, a major electric and gas utility in New Jersey, and AT&T have announced plans to develop an interactive customer communications system. This system will enable consumers and businesses to save money and energy while helping utilities reduce costs and improve efficiency. The system, based on technology developed by AT&T's Advanced Technology Systems in cooperation with PSE&G, will link utilities to their customers, providing various new services such as automatic and remote meter reading, remote control and monitoring of energy use, and automated power-outage detection.

Key Takeaways:

  • The interactive customer communications system will help consumers and businesses save money and energy while reducing utility costs and improving efficiency.
  • The system will provide various new services including automatic and remote meter reading, remote control and monitoring of energy use, and automated power-outage detection.
  • The system will be tested and deployed in New Jersey, with the goal of marketing it to gas and electric utilities worldwide.
  • The system will enable utilities to design and offer value-added services to their customers, such as security-system control, appliance monitoring, and time-related energy pricing.
  • AT&T will share development costs with PSE&G and will be responsible for the system's specification, software and hardware design, and marketing.
  • The two companies aim to have 10,000 sites online with the system by 1996, and 500,000 customers online with the system in PSE&G's territory by 2001.

Statistics:

  • 160 million voice, data, video, and facsimile messages are carried by AT&T's Worldwide Intelligent Network every business day.
  • PSE&G is the nation's fourth-largest electric and gas utility.
  • The system will be expanded to more than 10,000 sites by 1996.
  • 500,000 customers in PSE&G's territory will be online with the system by 2001.

Sources:

  • "PSE&G and AT&T Announce Plans to Develop Interactive Customer Communications System." Business Wire, January 18, 1995.
  • AT&T. "About AT&T."
  • Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G). "About PSE&G."

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