E.ON taps Nokia for comms network modernisation

Energy firm E.ON has announced it is to install a comms infrastructure designed to enhance both security and resilience, aligning with critical infrastructure (Kritis) requirements and increasing the ability to respond quickly to service incidents without interruption.

E.ON is one of Europe’s largest energy companies, with a 1.6 million-km energy distribution grid and around 47 million customers. The company believes it’s playing a leading role in shaping a green, digital and decentralised energy world.

Outlining the company’s core mission, CEO Leonhard Birnbaum said: “Europe needs an intelligent energy infrastructure for sustainable, secure and affordable energy. Here at E.ON, this exactly is our focus. We are investing massively to meet the rapidly growing demand for energy infrastructure. In doing so, we are leading the way where others are hesitating. It is this pioneering role in the energy transition that makes E.ON strong.”

To actively shape Europe’s green transformation, E.ON says it’s investing heavily in a future-proof energy infrastructure and sustainable customer services. The network renewal, based on Nokia technology, will start across Germany, and creates an optimised, highly automated telecommunications network for distribution system operators, which can be a model for other E.ON affiliates in Europe.

E.ON believes it already plays a key role in Germany’s energy transition, with a distribution grid connecting 1.4 million renewable energy plants, thus making the performance, flexibility and sustainability of its communications infrastructure critical. A key pillar, among others, is the IP, optical and fixed access part of its distribution system operator telecommunications network.

To realise the transformation, E.ON has signed a five-year strategic deal with Nokia, confident that with its network technology and chipsets, E.ON can benefit from significantly reduced energy consumption of up to 50% compared with its existing IP and optical infrastructure, while improving scalability, operational flexibility, responsiveness and service continuity.

Under the agreement, Nokia will deliver a suite of networking services to E.ON, including IP routing and switching, optical transport, fixed broadband access and Nokia’s network automation offerings. The fixed access fibre services offer a future-proof, flexible alternative that is easy to upgrade to 25G PON and beyond.

The infrastructure will aim to enhance both security and resilience, aligning with Kritis requirements and increasing E.ON’s ability to respond quickly to service incidents. The technology delivery across optical, IP and fibre domains is also said to lay the foundation for future advancements, including support for quantum-safe networks.

Explaining the requirements in the deployment, E.ON Group head of supply chain for grid communication infrastructure Lars Ramelow said: “Modernising our network and harmonising our technical infrastructure is a crucial move to ensure E.ON Group continues to deliver secure, reliable and energy-efficient services across Europe.

“We’re investing in a next-generation telecommunications network that is ready for future demands operationally, technologically and environmentally. Nokia is a trusted long-term supplier, and its ability to support our network makes it the right choice as we scale our digital transformation.”