Connectivity Requirements in the Utility Sector

The utility sector places demands on communications infrastructure that few other industries match. Critical grid assets must remain visible to the control centre at all times. SCADA sessions over DNP3 or IEC 104 must survive WAN failover events without requiring manual restart. Cybersecurity frameworks including NIS, NCSC CAF, and ENA Engineering Recommendations impose technical requirements on network architecture, encryption, and access control. And the hardware installed in substations and field cabinets must operate reliably for the 15-20 year asset replacement cycles the sector works to.

Cellular connectivity has become the primary WAN technology for secondary substations, BESS sites, and distributed grid assets in the UK – not because it is the only option, but because it gets a site connected faster, cheaper, and with better inherent WAN redundancy (dual-SIM across different MNOs) than a single fixed line connection can provide.

Guides and Technical References

Cybersecurity and Regulatory Context

UK utility operators are subject to the NIS (Network and Information Systems) Regulations 2018, with Ofgem as the designated competent authority for the electricity sector. The NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework provides the practical implementation guidance. ENA Engineering Recommendations – particularly those covering controllable distributed energy resources – impose communications and cybersecurity requirements on BESS and generation assets connected to the distribution network.

The connectivity architecture that these frameworks require is well-defined: encrypted WAN communications (IPsec or equivalent), network segmentation between SCADA and management traffic, authenticated remote access, patch management processes for connected devices, and incident detection capability. Industrial cellular routers from manufacturers including Milesight support all of these requirements as standard hardware capability.

Hardware Selection for Utility Sites

The right hardware for a utility cellular deployment depends on the specific application. For secondary substation and BESS control system connectivity, the Milesight UR35 (4G dual-SIM with RS485 serial) and UR75 (5G dual-SIM with multi-WAN) cover the majority of cases. For distributed sensor monitoring on renewable generation sites, the Milesight UG67 (outdoor LoRaWAN gateway with LTE backhaul) handles the collection layer.

For the full Milesight industrial router range with specifications and ordering codes, see the Milesight industrial routers page. For the LoRaWAN gateway range see the Milesight LoRaWAN gateway guide.