Evolution of Smart Metering: DLMS/COSEM Updates and Beyond

Smart metering has evolved significantly over the last two decades as it became a building block of modern energy management solutions. At the core of the evolution is the DLMS/COSEM (Device Language Message Specification / Companion Specification for Energy Metering) standard that has emerged as the worldwide benchmark for data exchange in energy metering and associated fields.

The Emergence of DLMS/COSEM

Originally designed to facilitate interoperability between various metering devices, DLMS/COSEM offers a data representation model and a secure communication model. It has layered architecture, and it supports multiple media like GPRS, NBiot, 2G/4G/LTE, Ethernet, Fiber optics, WIsun or other RF, Serial, Powerline G3 or Prime PLC; so, it's perfect for utilities that are moving towards advanced metering infrastructures (AMI).

The recent revisions of the DLMS/COSEM suite mirror the evolving energy systems landscape:

- IPv6 and IoT Integration: Improvements now enable native IP communication and serve IoT-based smart grid devices.

- Security Suite Enhancements: New security suites introduce AES-GCM encryption, elliptic curve-based key exchange, and robust authentication mechanisms, significantly strengthening cybersecurity.

- Support for Renewables and Prosumers: New object models define bidirectional energy flow, storage devices, and net metering to integrate prosumers on the grid.

Beyond DLMS: Future Directions

With increasing decentralization of energy networks, DLMS/COSEM is being extended to support:

• Edge intelligence and event-driven reporting, offloading backend systems.

• Interoperability with DERMS and demand response systems, enabling free flow of data throughout the smart grid ecosystem.
• Semantic interoperability with standards such as CIM (IEC 61970/61968) and IEC 62325, essential for market operations and grid analytics.

The future of smart metering is one of convergence- where the likes of DLMS/COSEM is not merely about metering, but facilitating tomorrow's intelligent, secure, and agile energy systems. 

Kalkitech has over two decades of successful experience in the field of DLMS COSEM and Smart Metering. For more details, feel free to contact our team at sales@kalkitech.com