Coronis Systems teams up with Elster Water Metering

Montpellier, France, 5 May 2005 – Coronis Systems and Elster Water Metering have announced their agreement to use Coronis wireless solutions in Elster’s world-leading water-metering products. Coronis will provide fully automated wireless network-monitoring systems to enable remote automatic meter reading via its Wavenis™ technology.

This partnership underlines Elster Water Metering’s commitment to expanding its portfolio of Emeris-branded automatic meter-reading (AMR) solutions with technology innovations. By choosing Wavenis™-based AMR products, which ensure a high level of accuracy on a nearly real-time basis, Elster Water Metering can improve the precision and efficiency of its systems while enhancing service to customers. The new meter-reading systems will provide utility companies and businesses with fast readings of all residential, commercial and industrial customer meters.

Coronis Systems designs and develops innovative technologies and turnkey solutions for ultra low-power and long-range wireless metering systems. In addition to providing network technology that specifically addresses the autonomy and range constraints inherent to metering installations, the Coronis solution will help Elster Water Metering offer its customers value-added benefits such as leak detection and data logging, as well as other features to meet evolving requirements. A single Wavenis™-based solution is flexible enough to be used with walk-by, drive-by and fixed network systems, making upgrades simple and cost effective.

"The complementary nature of our companies’ products will bring the benefits of high-tech AMR to customers in over 50 countries. Elster Water Metering’s significant worldwide position will be a major asset to our international development," says Olivier Guilbaud, President of Coronis Systems. "This agreement further reinforces our leading position in Europe."

"The innovative Coronis solution enables us to strengthen our Emeris AMR portfolio by adding new value-added solutions cost effectively for both mobile and fixed network applications," said Mr Joakim Weidemanis, Managing Director of Elster Water Metering.

The partnership agreement extends the use of Coronis Systems’ automatic meter-reading technology to cover most markets in Western and Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.

About Elster Water Metering
Elster Metering is the new group formed from the acquisition by Ruhrgas Industries of ABB's global metering businesses. Elster Metering is a market leader in electricity and water metering with approximately 3,500 employees working in 33 production and sales offices in 32 countries. Elster Metering has delivered more than 350 million electricity, water and energy meters to customers in 150 countries. Together with the Ruhrgas Industries gas-metering businesses, this global metering group has revenues of over US$1 billion.
Elster Water Metering has a tradition of developing, manufacturing and marketing metering products and services that use cutting-edge technology. The company continues to bring value to its customers by providing the innovative solutions they need to face an ever-changing energy market.
For further information, please go to: www.elstermetering.com
About Coronis Systems
Headquartered in Montpellier, in south-east France, Coronis Systems is a supplier of innovative wireless network-technology solutions for ultra-low-power and long-range applications. The company has optimised its Wavenis™ RF ASIC and protocol stack to match the real-world technical and price requirements for high-volume automatic meter-reading installations.
With a purely business-to-business model, and over 500,000 Wavenis™ products and licences sold to leading industrial companies, Coronis today has a staff of over 40. Annual turnover is expected to reach €15m in three years across the company’s three business units – metering, telemetry, and technology licensing in sectors such as AMR, home comfort, personal and property alarm systems, home medical care, industrial & building automation, transport, cooling and refrigeration.
For further information, please go to: www.coronis-systems.com