DRAFT TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR

COMMUNICATION SYSTEM IN POWER

SYSTEM OPERATION
(Proposed under Section 177- subsection (1) and (2g) read with
Section 73-subsection (b) of Electricity Act, 2003)

CENTRAL ELECTRICITY AUTHORITY

New Delhi – 110066

AUGUST 2018
 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in

Power System Operation

1. Short Title and Commencement

(1) These regulations shall be called the Central Electricity Authority (Technical Standards
for Communication System in Power System Operation) Regulations 2018.
(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the official Gazette.

2. Definitions
In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires –
a) “Act” means the Electricity Act, 2003 as amended from time to time;
b) “Ancillary Services” means in relation to power system (or grid) operation, the services
necessary to support the power system (or grid) operation in maintaining power
quality, reliability and security of the grid e.g. active power support for load following,
reactive power support, black start, etc.;
c) “ANSI Standards” means those standards and specifications approved by the
American National Standards Institute;
d) “Associated Communication System” means a communication system associated with
a project set up for exchange of voice/video/data with load despatch center/control
center as per Grid Code;
e) “Analog Signal” means digital representation of a continuous value (for example, a
power flow);
f) “Auxiliary Power Supply” means dedicated alternate DC power source which serves as
back-up in the absence of primary power source;
g) “Commission” means the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission referred to in sub-
section (1) of Section 76 of the Act for Inter State Transmission System; and State
Electricity Regulatory Commission referred to in sub-section (1) of Section 82 of the
Act for Intra State transmission and distribution System;
h) "Central Transmission Utility” means any Government Company which the Central
Government may notify under sub-section (1) of Section 38 of the Act;
i) “Communication Channel” means a dedicated physical/virtual path configured from
one user node to another user node, either directly or through intermediary node(s) to
facilitate voice, video and data communication and tele-protection system;
j) “Communication Interface” means a dedicated physical connectivity to the
communication network for exchange of data and information for the Data provider
and intervening communication system;

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

k) “Communication Network” means an interconnection of communication nodes through

a combination of media, either directly or through intermediary node(s);
l) “Communication Protocol” means a system of rules and well-defined formats that allow
two or more entities of a communications system to exchange information via any kind
physical medium;
m) “Communication System” is a collection of individual communication networks,
communication media, relaying stations, tributary stations, terminal equipment usually
capable of inter-connection and inter-operation to form an integrated communication
backbone for power sector. It also includes existing communication system and their
auxiliary power supply system, etc.;
n) “Control Command” means a representation of an instruction to perform a defined
action (for example a generation increase);
o) "Control Centre" means National Load Despatch Centre or Regional Load Despatch
Centre or Renewable Energy Management Centre or State Load Despatch Centre or
Area LDC or Sub-LDC or DISCOM LDC including main and backup, as applicable, as
well as market operators centre;
p) “Communication Service Provider” means a person or Utility authorized to establish
and/or operate communication system;
q) "Data" means a set of values of analog or digital signal including a text, voice, video,
tele-protection, alarm, control signal, phasor, status of device, weather parameter,
parameter of a machine or the power system, market related data, clearing house
information, etc.;
r) “Communication Equipment” means any part of equipment used to transmit
Operational Data between Data Provider’s station and another station / Control
Centre;
s) “Data Provider” means a person such as a Generating Company including Grid
connected Captive Generating Plant, RE Generator, Transmission Licensee,
Distribution Licensee, a Bulk Consumer, whose electrical system is connected to the
ISTS or the intra-State transmission system, Market Operators and Service Providers
(Ancillary, Weather and Forecast) providing service to facilitate system operation
functions;
t) “Data Collecting Node” means a wideband node established to collect data from
multiple Data Providers, Market Operators and Ancillary Service Providers;
u) “Digital Signal” means digital representation of equipment status information (for
example, a circuit Breaker and isolator status);
v) "Earth Connection" means connection between conducting parts and general mass of
earth by an earthing device;
w) "Forecasting Service Provider (FSP)" means a service provider who provides forecast
data related to Renewable Energy Resources and Demand for use of Users;

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

x) “Generating station” means a generating station as defined in Section 2 (30) of the

Act.
y) “Grid Code” means the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (Indian Electricity
Grid Code) Regulations, 2010 as amended from time to time or subsequent
reenactment thereof;
z) "Inter-State transmission system" means the ISTS as defined in Section 2 (36) of the
Act;
aa) “Intervening Communication” means a communication system that transfer the Data
from one communication system to others seamlessly;
bb) “ITU-T Standards” means those standards and specifications approved by the
International Telecommunications Union – Telecommunication Group;
cc) “BIS Standards” means those standards and specifications approved by Bureau of
Indian Standards;
dd) “Meter” means a device suitable for measuring, indicating and recording consumption
of electricity or any other quantity related with electrical system and shall include,
wherever applicable, other equipment such as Current Transformers (CT), Voltage
Transformer (VT) or Capacitor Voltage Transformer (CVT) with necessary wiring and
accessories;
ee) “Market Operation Service” means a person or entity providing services to facilitate
market operation like Power Exchanges, Market Clearing House etc.
ff) "National Load Despatch Centre" means the centre established under subsection of
Section 26 of the Act;
gg) “Person” shall include any company or body corporate or association or body of
individuals, whether incorporated or not, or artificial juridical person;
hh) "Real time operation" means action to be taken at a given time at which information
about the electricity system is made available to the concerned Load Despatch Centre;
ii) “Real time data” denotes information relating to current operating state of power
system in accordance with system operation and control requirements;
jj) “Regional Load Despatch Centre" means the Centre established under subsection of
Section 27 of the Act;
kk) “Remote Terminal Units” (RTU) means a device suitable for measuring, recording and
storing the consumption of electricity or any other quantity related with electrical
system, weather and status of the equipment in real time basis and exchanging such
information with the data acquisition system for display and control and shall include,
wherever applicable, other equipment such as transducers, relays with necessary
wiring and accessories.
ll) "Renewable Energy Management Centres (REMC)" means the centres being
established in India to enable forecasting, scheduling and monitoring of renewable
energy generation;

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

mm) “Round trip delay” is the total time taken for a signal to be sent and the
acknowledgement to be received between the two communication endpoints;
nn) "SCADA" means Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System that acquires data
from Data provider locations over communication links and processes it at control
centre for monitoring, supervision, control as well as decision support;
oo) “Ancillary Service Providers” means a person or entity providing service like ancillary
service to facilitate system operation;
pp) “State Load Despatch Centre (SLDC)” means the centre established under subsection
of Section 31 of the Act;
qq) “State Transmission Utility” means the board or the Government Transmission
Company as specified by the State Government under sub -section (1) of Section 39
of the Act;
rr) "Site Common Drawing" means a drawing prepared for every interface point at site,
which depicts layout of connectivity, allocation of channels/users and common
services for the interface;
ss) "Site Responsibility Schedule" (SRS) means a Schedule for demarcating the
ownership, responsibility for control, operation and maintenance of the equipment at
the interface point;
tt) “System Operation Function” includes monitoring of grid operations, supervision and
control over the Transmission System, real time operations for grid control and
dispatch, system restoration following grid disturbances, compiling and furnishing data
pertaining to system operation, congestion management, black start coordination and
any other function(s) assigned to the control centre under the Act or any regulations
and orders of the Commission;
uu) “Weather Service Providers (WSP)” means a service provider who provides data
related to weather like wind speed, temperature, humidity, irradiation, cloud cover etc.
for use of forecasting application at Control Center;
vv) “Wide band Node” means interface point on the wideband data communication system
with an ability to simultaneously transport multiple signals of very high bandwidth
requirement;
ww) “Lead Communication Service Provider” means a person or Utility authorized to set up
communication system backbone at Regional, State, DISCOM level as communication
service provider to “Control Centre” and the “Users” for Information / Data exchange;
xx) “Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)” is a network to enable two-way
communication between Smart Meter and Head End System (HES) to enable
remote reading, monitoring & control of electrical energy meters, etc.;
yy) “Data Concentrator Unit (DCU)” means a secured aggregate router which facilitates
secured two-way data transfer in transparent/store and forward mode as per system
designs.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

zz) “Head End System (HES)” means a set of ICT based systems situated at the top of
AMI system which receives data and events over NAN (Neighbourhood Area Network)
/ WAN.
aaa) Smart Meter is an ac static watt-hour meter with time of use registers, internal connect
and disconnect switches with two-way communication capability;
bbb) “Interoperability” means the measure of ease of integration between two systems or
software components to achieve a functional goal;
ccc) “Wide Area Measurement Systems (WAMS)” is advanced measurement technology,
information tools, and operational infrastructure that facilitate the understanding and
management of the increasingly complex behaviour exhibited by large power systems
to enhance the system operator’s “situational awareness” for safe and reliable grid
operation;

3. The words and expressions used and not defined in these Regulations but defined in the Act
shall have the meaning assigned to them in the Act.

4. OBJECTIVES

(i) To ensure seamless integration, reliable, redundant and secure communication;

(ii) To ensure that any network change shall not cause any adverse effect on functioning
of existing Communication System. The Communication System shall continue to
perform intended function with specified reliability, security and quality;
(iii) A Data Provider or an intervening Communication System Provider is required to be
aware, in advance, of the standards and conditions his system has to meet for being
connected into the Communication System.

5. APPLICABILITY

These standards shall be applicable to all Communication Service Providers, Central &
State Generating Company including Grid connected Captive Generating Plant, RE
Generator, Transmission Licensee, Distribution Licensee, a Bulk Consumer whose electrical
system is connected to transmission system, Market Operation Service Providers and other
Service Providers like Forecast, Weather and Ancillary services; etc.

6. FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENT

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

The primary function of the communication network is to provide a highly secured and
reliable voice and data communication system in support of the WAM (Wide Area
Monitoring) System, SCADA/EMS (Energy Management System) system, Protection
System, Remote Operation, Market Operation Service and Service Providers (Forecast,
Weather and Ancillary services), Automatic Generation and Control (AGC), Video
Conferencing (VC), Surveillance System, Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) / Advanced
metering Infrastructure (AMI), Smart Grid implementations, Electric Vehicles (EVs),
Distributed Energy Resources, etc. and any other activities related to power system
operation. The required communication interfaces shall be provided both at sending (User)
and receiving (Control Centre) ends for all such functionalities as indicated above for low &
high speed data, express voice circuits and administrative voice circuits.

The communication system shall finally form a wideband backbone to support the
requirement of the Power System Operation and Market operation. The Standards of
Wideband Communication are given at Schedule (Part-II).

7. STANDARDS AND CODES OF PRACTICE

(i) The Communication Service Providers shall follow the industry best practices and
applicable industry standards in respect of the equipment installation and its operation
and maintenance.
(ii) The communication equipment shall comply with the relevant standards of Bureau of
Indian Standards (BIS). If BIS Standards are not available for a particular equipment or
material, the relevant British Standard (BS), International Electro-Technical
Commission (IEC) Standard, IEEE, EIA (Electronic Industries Association Standards),
American National Standards Institute (ANSI), ITU-T (International Telecommunications
Union–Telecommunication) / CCITT (Consultative Committee for International
Telephony and Telegraphy), CISPR (International Special committee on Radio
Interference), Fiber Optic Association (FOA) or any other equivalent International
Standard shall be followed. Provided that whenever an International Standard is
followed, necessary corrections or modifications shall be made for prevailing local
ambient conditions before adoption-of the said Standard.
(iii) The latest version of Standards shall be followed.
(iv) The effects of wind, storms, floods, lightening, elevation, temperature extremes, icing,
contamination, pollution and earthquakes etc. shall be considered in the design and
operation of the connected facilities.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

8. LIGHTNING & SURGE PROTECTION

Communication Service Provider shall have proper earth connection of its communication
equipment (indoor & Outdoor), and shall be solely responsible for failure of its
communication equipment due to any problem related to earthing. Communication system
shall preferably have a separate earth connection, which is isolated from grounding of
electrical equipment in the premises. Sufficient protection shall be provided for lightning and
electric surge as per relevant standards of IEC (model by IEC 61000-4-5 and compliant to
relevant parts of IEC 62305). Earth connection shall be done in accordance with the norms
of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)-80 or BIS:3043. The
resistibility of communication equipment installed against over voltage and over current shall
be as per ITU-T (K 20) recommendations.

9. ACCESS POLICY

Data & Information is a valuable asset for the Indian Power System where strict
confidentiality shall be maintained. Protecting information assets from unauthorized,
incorrect or accidental access, use, modification, destruction or disclosure is responsibility
and obligation of every person involved. Communication System access shall be designed,
developed, built, configured and maintained in such a way that only authorized users have
access to all information and every tool permitted to do their job.

The Communication Service Provider’s Information Security department is responsible for

developing, implementing, and maintaining the Access Policy including Access Control and
the related Procedures. Compliance with this Policy is mandatory. Non-compliance or a
violation of this Policy is a serious offense and may result in the revocation of access to the
Communication System.

10. GENERAL CONDITIONS

10.1 TRANSMISSION

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

(i) Communication System shall be planned up to the interface points of the Data provider
and the respective control centre including the interfacing equipment at the respective
location.
(ii) Interface point of the Data Provider shall be substations and generating stations
connected to Inter State Transmission System and Intra State Transmission System,
respective LDC control center, DISCOMs, Market Operator and Service provider
(Ancillary, Weather and Forecast) for the dedicated National Wideband Backbone
network. The Standards for Interfacing to the Communication System are given at
Schedule (Part-I).
(iii) Communication service provider shall be responsible for Design & Engineering,
implementation, reliable operation, security of its own equipment as per the
Communication planning criteria and guidelines for development of reliable
communication system for the Power System subject to the compliance of operation and
maintenance guideline and other statutory standards.
(iv) Central/State Transmission Utility while planning should consider the intervening
communication service provider’s design of the communication system for seamless
interfacing of the intervening communication system to have National Wideband
Backbone.
(v) Communication service provider shall ensure Centralized monitoring / management of
its communication network and shall provide necessary facilities for monitoring /
managing the system for identification of fault and generation of various reports on
availability of the communication system.
(vi) Data Provider shall be responsible for the planning, design, implementation and secured
operation of its own equipment to be interfaced with the communication System.
(vii) Data Provider, whose system is proposed to be interfaced with the communication
system, shall furnish the Data to the appropriate Control Centre as prescribed by them.
(viii) Communication Service Provider, whose system is proposed to be interfaced with the
communication system, shall furnish the requisite interface information to the Load
Despatch Centre as per the format prescribed by Lead Communication Service
Provider.
(ix) These standards are not to be relied upon to protect the plant and equipment of the Data
provider or the intervening Communication System Provider.
(x) Communication service provider and Lead Communication service provider shall ensure
that all the communication equipment installed are interoperable, so as to allow
seamless integration between different vendors.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

(xi) Every connection/interfacing with the intervening communication system shall be

covered by a connection agreement between the parties sharing the communication
service as below:
a) Intervening Communication System shall be of State Communication service
provider or a Distribution System Communication Provider as the case may be.
b) Intervening physical communication media provider shall be of Transmission
Licensee (Private / Govt.), JVs as the case may be.
c) The interface agreement shall contain general and specific technical conditions
supported by interfacing details and layout drawings for the interfacing.

10.2 DISTRIBUTION

(i) Communication system shall be planned for up to the interface points of the respective
data providers and the respective control centers including the interfacing equipment.
(ii) Interface point of Data Provider shall be planned up to electrical energy meters of
consumers, distributed energy sources, charging stations of EVs, Sub-Stations &
Generating stations’ control centre, Grid Stations, Centralized and/or Distributed Load
Control Centres and Call Centres of the Organization, Market operator, Service
provider, etc. The Standards for Interfacing to the Communication System are given at
Schedule (Part-I).
(iii) Communication service provider shall be responsible for Design & Engineering,
implementation, reliable operation, security of its own equipment as per the
Communication planning criteria and guidelines for development of reliable
communication system for the Distribution Power System subject to the compliance of
operation and maintenance guideline and other statutory standards.
(iv) Distribution Utility while planning should consider the other communication service
provider design of the communication system for seamless interfacing of their
communication system.
(v) Communication service provider shall ensure Centralized monitoring of its
communication network and shall provide necessary facilities for monitoring the system
for identification of fault and generation of various reports on availability of the
communication system.
(vi) These standards are not to be relied upon to protect the equipment of consumer or the
intervening Communication System Provider.
(vii) Communication Service Provider shall furnish the requisite information to the Discom
Load Despatch Centre as per the format prescribed by them.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

(viii) Communication service provider and Lead Communication service provider shall
ensure that all the communication equipment installed are interoperable, so as to allow
seamless integration between different vendors.
(ix) AMI system shall include reliable communications links to ensure the desired
performance level.
(x) There shall be adequate redundancy in the system, for ensuring high availability of
mission critical applications.
(xi) Distribution Power Utilities shall refer to CEA’s guidelines/ regulation/ any other
information related to Communication in Distribution Power System, if any, as published
from time to time.

11. SITE RESPONSIBILITY

(i) A Site Responsibility Schedule (SRS) for every interface point shall be prepared by the
owner of the Data Provider /Communication Service Provider where interfacing is
taking place.
(ii) Following information shall be included in the Site Responsibility Schedule, namely, -
a) Schedule of telecommunication interface equipment;
b) Schedule of Auxiliary Power supply equipment catering the tele-communication
equipment;
c) Schedule of physical and software access if any;
d) Schedule of patching details (for example in STM level, E -1 level, TCP/IP level)
for channel routing, and numbers of fiber connectivity;
e) Schedule of maintenance requirement; and
f) Cyber Security rules applicable to each equipment.
g) Type of connectors required for making the connection though
h) Any other specific information provided by the Equipment manufacturer
i) Any other specific requirement with mutual discussion
j) Site / Node Common Drawings for each interface point

(iii) Following information shall also be furnished in the Site Responsibility Schedule for
each item of equipment installed at the interfacing site, namely: -
a) the ownership of equipment;
b) the responsibility for access to equipment;
c) the responsibility for maintenance of equipment;

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

d) the responsibility for operation of equipment;

e) the Incharge of the site; and
f) the responsibility for all matters relating to safety/security of equipment at site.
(iv) If Packet technology is being used in backhaul network, Communication service
provider should ensure the following details as well:
(a) Mode of Connectivity
(b) Protocol used (Level 2/Level 3)
(c) Bandwidth Provisioning
(d) QoS (Quality of Service) policy of circuit
(e) Traffic engineering
(f) Communication Service provider is expected to adhere to agreed Standard latency /
Performance parameters at any given point of time
(g) Communication Service provider shall ensure Standard Latency output in minimum
nos. of hops in case Unit Protection Schemes (i.e. Line Differential Relay)
connectivity is provisioned throughout the equipment

12. ACCESS AT CONNECTION SITE / NODE

The Data Provider or the Intervening Communication Service Provider, as the case may be,
owning the interface site / node shall provide reasonable access and other required facilities
(including reasonable space) and 24x7 access to the communication Service provider or its
authorized representative, whose equipment is installed or proposed to be installed at the
interface Site for installation, configuration, testing, operation and maintenance, etc. of the
equipment.

13. PERFORMANCE

13.1 VOLUME OF DATA

(i) Communication Service Provider shall be capable of transmitting all Operational Data
/ Market operation data required by appropriate Control Centre and includes but not
limited to all data that:
a) was in use at the time this Standard came into effect;
b) has been requested in writing by appropriate Control Centre and other Service
Provider
(ii) The transmission of additional Operational Data beyond that required by Control
Centre for System Operation as specified in Grid Code or any agreement between

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

System Operator and Data Provider does not diminish the obligations of the Data
Provider to comply with this Standard.

13.2 AGE OF DATA

Operational Data shall be required from all the Data Providers in response to a poll within
the time intervals specified in following Tables, so that Communication System shall be
planned accordingly.

TRANSMISSION:
Time Interval Time Interval Via Data
( Seconds ) Concentrator (Seconds)
Category Data Type 765/ 220/ Below 220/ Below
765/
400 132* 132* 132* 132*
400 kV
kV kV kV kV kV
Analog
AGC Signal 2 2 3 2 2 3
Value
Status
2 3 4 2 3 5
Despatch Indication
Data Analog
4 5 6 4 5 7
Value

0.04 to 0.04 to 0.04 to 0.04 to

Phasor Data Analog 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01

0.04 to 0.04 to 0.04 to 0.04 to

Status
0.01 0.01 0.01 0.01
* Wherever 110kV is used in transmission system, 132kV may be replaced with 110kV

Time Interval Time Interval Via Data

Category Data Type
( Seconds ) Concentrator (Seconds)

Forecast Data Value 60 60 60 60 60 60

Weather Data Value 60 60 60 60 60 60
Market Data Value 60 60 60 60 60 60

DISTRIBUTION:
Time Interval Time Interval Via Data
Category Data Type
( Seconds ) Concentrator (Seconds)
Status Indication 4 5
Despatch Data
Analog Value 6 7

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

Weather Data Value 60 60

Market Data Value 60 60

13.3 CONTROL COMMAND DELAY

Communication System shall relay the Control Command from the Control Centre to
relevant equipment within 2 seconds, whether the command is transmitted directly or via a
Data Concentrator.

14. RELIABILITY

1) The total period of outages shall be less than 16 hours on monthly basis for Data
Provider’s interface with total outages in a rolling 12-months assessment period shall
be less than 48 hours. Accordingly, Data Provider shall maintain adequate redundancy
while designing the system.
2) The total period of outages shall be less than 16 hours on monthly basis for wideband
node with total outages in a rolling 12-months assessment period shall be less than 48
hours.
3) The total period of outages shall be less than 16 hours on monthly basis for
communication media with total outages in a rolling 12 months’ assessment period
shall be less than 48 hours.
4) Communication service Provider shall have above redundancy while designing the
system taking into account the following:
a. Route diversity required to take care likely failure of the physical path
b. The Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) of their elements
c. The Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) of their elements
d. The assessment for planned outages for their elements
e. Any other required factor

15. CYBER SECURITY

Data Provider, Communication Service Provider and Control Centre Owner connected to the
communication system shall have robust programs in place to adequately and continuously
manage cyber security risks that could have adversely impact power system
communications and supporting system and infrastructure.

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The cyber security program shall use reasonable endeavors to address the following
functions:

(i) Understanding of cyber security risks to the systems, assets and risk assessment
and implement risk management strategies.
(ii) To have controls and safeguards necessary to protect or deter cyber security threats
with implementation of access control, data security, data protection.
(iii) Continuous monitoring to provide proactive and real time alerts of cyber security
related events
(iv) Analysis of observation(s) related to various activities related to violation of cyber
security; and implement mitigation policy.
(v) Business continuity plans/Disaster Management Plan to maintain resilience and
recovery capabilities after a cyber-breach.
(vi) Adequate training to the persons, who are authorized to have access to the
communication system, on cyber security to continuously update the threat
perception.
(vii) Carry out cyber security audit at least once in a year, through Govt. approved
agencies to ensure security.
(viii) Implementation of relevant provision(s) contained in the Cyber Security Policy issued
by Govt. of India from time to time.
(ix) Robust back-up and restoration process of configuration files of terminating
equipment with clearly defined policies for storing media in off-site location.
(x) Implementation of necessary controls and safeguards to protect data in-transit and at
rest.
(xi) Creation and regular maintenance of asset register including but not limited to
capturing of application and firmware versions.
(xii) Ensure availability of necessary logs and audit trails for three months.
(xiii) Ensure hardening of all communication / network system components (e.g. disable
all ports and services which are not required for the operation and maintenance of
the device.)
(xiv) Implementation of appropriate software, service and security updates and/or
workarounds to mitigate all vulnerabilities associated with the communication or
network components to maintain system security.
(xv) Ensure that solution provider shall return or destroy all sensitive data in its
possession when solution provider is no longer able to maintain the product.

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(xvi) All network components shall adhere to least privileged permission schemes for all
user accounts and application to application communications.
(xvii) Ensure that device supports a system that allows for selection of password length,
frequency of change, setting of required password complexity, number of login
attempts, inactive session logouts, screen lock by application and denial of repeated
or recycled use of the same password.
(xviii) Solution provider shall ensure that the addition of security features does not
adversely affect connectivity, latency, bandwidth, response time and throughput.
(xix) Solution provider shall adhere to NCIIPC (National Critical Information Infrastructure
Protection Centre) standards (if any) from cyber security perspective.
(xx) Solution provider shall adhere to CEA (Central Electricity Authority)’s other Cyber
Security Standards / Regulations (if any), as published from time to time.
(xxi) In case of any cyber incidence or cyber threat, the same needs to be reported to
CERT-IN (Computer Emergency Response Team – India)

16. SAFETY OF COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT

Communication Service Provider shall be responsible for the safety of its equipment
installed at the premises as well as equipment located outside the premises of Data
Provider, Control Centre Owner.

Data Provider, Control Centre Owner and Market operator shall be responsible for the safety
of the communication equipment installed by them for interfacing with the equipment
installed by the communication service provider.

17. TESTING TO CONFIRM COMPLIANCE

Testing shall be carried out as and when the equipment of Data Providers, the
communication service provider, intervening communication system Provider, the Control
Center or of other service provider’s is replaced / upgraded to confirm the compliance to
these standards. Prior to test, the concerned person, which intend to upgrade / replace the
communication equipment shall

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

a. Coordinate with all the concerned for relaying the data to be tested
b. Prepare and submit a test procedure for the testing to all the concerned
c. Submit detailed equipment test report to the Concerned LDC for compliance

18. SITE COMMON DRAWINGS

Site / Node Common Drawings shall be prepared for each interface point where connection
is taking place by the Communication Service Provider jointly in coordination with the
Users / Service Provider.

19. MAINTENANCE

Communication service provider shall have a centralized monitoring facility to support

maintenance activity.

(i) The response time to failure shall be decided to maintain the outage time specified
under para 14 of these standards.
(ii) Monthly Outage may be planned and got approved by the Transmission
Communication Service Provider in concerned RPC as per detailed procedure
finalized by RPC. In case of Distribution Communication Service Provider, in place of
RPC, it would be the concerned LDC.
(iii) Notice to be issued to concerned Data Provider as well as to the concerned Load
Despatch Center / Service Provider / Market Operator five days’ notice of a planned
outage of any of the service likely to cause failure of data communication.
(iv) Concerned Load Despatch Center / Service Provider / Market Operator may defer the
request in case it will adversely affect the Power System Security.
(v) Inform the progress of related rectification work to Data Provider as well as to the
concerned Load Despatch Center / Service Provider / Market Operator.
(vi) Consult with the concerned Load Despatch Center / Service Provider / Market
Operator about the priority of the related rectification works in case the failure is
causing or likely to cause Outage.

20. ADOPTION OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Data Providers, the communication service provider, intervening communication system Provider,
the Control Center or of other service provider shall make out a plan for introduction and adoption

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of new technologies, with the approval of the Appropriate Commission or as per the regulations or
directions of the Appropriate Commission or pursuant to the reforms programme of the Appropriate
Government.

The Standards related to some of the existing communication technologies in Power System
operation are given at Schedule {Part-III (A&B) to IX}

21. RELAXATION OF REGULATIONS

The Authority by order in writing may relax any provision of the said regulations on its own or in
respect of the matters referred to the Authority on case to case basis.

22. INTERPRETATION

If a question arises relating to the interpretation of any provision of these regulations or its
relationship and interplay with any other regulation of CEA, the decision of the Authority shall be
final.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

SCHEDULE

PART- I

Standards for Interfacing to the Communication System

1. Standard Interfaces

The following standards may be followed while interfacing the equipment with the
communication system:

Interfaces Type Standards

Electrical Interface Ethernet IEEE 802.3 / IEEE 802.3u
Ethernet VLAN IEEE 802.1 P/Q
Serial RS-232 / RS 422 / RS 485 / X.21 / X.25 /
G.703 / V.35
Optical Interface ITU-T G.957, G.958
Teleprotection Relay
IEEE C37.94 ,ITU-T G.703
/Control
2-wire FXO/2-wire FXS/ 4- wire E&M,
Voice
VOIP
SDH ITU-T G.821/G.826
IP - Packet Switched Layer 2.5 OSI RFC 2702, RFC 4379, RFC 4090 & RFC
Networks 4553 – Circuit Emulation
RF Mesh 865 – 867 MHz IEEE 802.11s
MD5 Authentication, 3.SNMPv3,
Cyber Security
Radius/TACS+
Video H.323

2. Local Monitoring

All the interfaces shall be provided with audio/visual status indication to indicate its normal
operation as per respective standards.

3. Centralized Supervision & Monitoring

Lead Communication Service Provider / System Integrator shall have centralized

supervision and monitoring system by integrating Network Management/Monitoring System

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

(NMS) / Element Management System of his own and other communication service provider
within a region.

Management Console (MC) / Element Management System (EMS) / Network Management

Console (NMS) for other communication service provider within a region shall provide
necessary support to interface their NMS with that of Lead communication service provider.
However, these communication service providers shall take necessary action for operation
and maintenance of all the interfaces of communication system under their jurisdiction.

The Centralized NMS as well as the MC / EMS / NMS of other communication service
providers should have features to store necessary information and facility to generate report
on communication system availability like channel/node/fibre etc. on daily/weekly/monthly
basis.

The system shall have displays for audio/visual alarm generation facility to the operator to
facilitate quick fault detection and shall have alarm generation and logging facility. The
NMS / MC / EMS shall facilitate access to the equipment for configuration and fault
restoration as well to facilitate monitoring the performance of the communication system
through generation of reports on availability of major equipment as well as the data
channels.

Communication service provider’s NMS should report NBI/SBI (North Bound/South Bound
Interface) for integration with INMS (Integrated Network Management/Monitoring System) /
centralized NMS of the utility.

4. Data Retention

The Communication Service provider shall keep evidence of compliance on availability for
the previous two calendar years plus the current year for all the interfaces which are in
operation. Communication service provider shall keep 90 days of historical data.

5. Maintainability

The communication system provider shall permit in-service diagnostic testing to be executed
both locally and from remote (NMS) locations to facilitate performance trending, efficient
diagnosis and corrective resolution of all the interfaces in operation. The communication
service provider shall maintain required testing equipment and tools to facilitate testing of
the interfaces of the communication system at the time of fault and during the course of
maintenance.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

6. System Upgradability & Expandability

All Communication interfaces shall be sized (though not necessarily equipped) to support
system / subsystem expansion / upgradation to full capacity as provided by specified
aggregate transmission rates. Equipment units provisioned for equipped subunits shall be
terminated with appropriate termination interfaces.

7. Training

Specialized training shall be provided to the persons manning the centralized monitoring
center and the field support staff to ensure quick fault detection and restoration of the
communication system. Training shall be provided to the maintenance persons on all
communication equipment for its operation and maintenance.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

SCHEDULE

Part – II
1. General Requirement
Standards applicable to Wideband Communication (Wideband Network)

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

a) The wideband network shall be planned in such a manner to connect all Generating
Stations/Sub-stations and all wind plant developer having aggregate capacity more
than 50MW capacity (at a single connection point) and solar developer of more than
10MW aggregate capacity (at a single connection point), all Control Centres of
DISCOM, State, Regional and National Level, Renewable monitoring Centre, Market
data monitoring and Billing Centre for data exchange and voice connectivity.
b) The wideband network shall be planned to cater protection requirement of power
system as envisaged by the concerned Utility.
c) Wideband network shall be planned with route diversity and shall ensure channel
redundancy for different data exchange and voice communication requirements.
d) Network equipment shall be synchronized through provision of GPS clock to achieve
the desired functionality as per standard ITU-T G.811 criterion specially the protection
requirements. The holdover quality of clock shall meet ITU-T G.812 standard
requirements.
e) At least 10 hrs battery backup shall be provided for the communication equipment for
all the nodes; for repeater stations housed in repeater shelter, depending upon
requirement, the extended backup shall be provided.
f) Supply voltage 48V DC +15%, –10%. (positive pole earthed)
g) The minimum guaranteed life for all the wideband communication equipment shall be
10 years.

2. Standards and codes of Practices

a) Transmission quality shall be as per ITU-T G.821, G.823, G.826

b) Terminal equipment shall be designed as per ITU-T G.783
c) Optical interface shall be FC-PC and shall be as per ITU-T G.957, G.958
d) Wideband communication (wideband network) shall be optical interface LC (Lucent
Connector) conforming to IEC 61754-20 (part 20)
e) Network synchronization shall be as per ITU-T G.813
f) Management Functions shall be as per ITU-T G.774, G.784
g) Protection architecture shall be as per ITU-T G.841
h) Built-in testing and Alarm shall be as per ITU-T G.774, G.783, G.784
i) The link performance for ES, SES and BER for the fibre optic links shall correspond to
National Network as defined in ITU-T G.826

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

3. Functional Requirement

a) The wideband network shall be designed in a manner to ensure absolute channel

delay less than 25 ms and Channel delay asymmetry less than 0.1 ms required for
protection applications.
b) Network shall be configured for automatic switchover to the alternate path/ route in
case of failure of one path and the switching time delay shall be less than 50ms.
c) At any digital signal level, reapplication of a lost signal shall result in automatic
resynchronization and full restoration to normal operation without manual intervention.
All alarms incident to the signal failure, shall be automatically cleared at the
equipment, rack and monitoring levels and normal operation indications restored and
reported.
d) Terminal Equipment shall support automatic switchover function between the
redundant modules. All required modules and hardware to support the automatic
switch over shall be provided.
e) Network Management System (NMS) shall provide the capability to monitor,
reconfigure and control elements of the telecommunications network from a
centralized location and at each node of the network.
f) The new node, when added to the existing network, the terminal equipment shall be
compatible to the existing one and shall be possible to integrate with the existing
respective centralized monitoring equipment i.e. Network Management System (NMS)
either at State level or at Central level for complete monitoring, reconfiguration and
control.
g) Equipment planned shall be sized (though not necessarily equipped) to support
system/ subsystem expansion to full capacity. Equipment units provisioned for
equipped subunits shall be terminated at appropriate patching facilities or termination
blocks. Power supplies and TMN shall be sized for maximum equipped system
capacity.
h) Terminal equipment shall be designed with required number of directions considering
the route redundancy required and future expansion, at least for next 5 years of the
network expansions.
i) The centralized monitoring system shall have provisions to generate Management
information reports showing availability of the communication nodes, availability of
configured channels, and type of failures/faults etc. for performance analysis.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

SCHEDULE

Part – III A
Standards Applicable to Wideband Communication

The primary function of the communication network is to provide a highly reliable voice, video and
data communication system in support of the WAM System, SCADA/EMS system, Protection
System & Market Operation Service. The communication interfaces for WAM system,
SCADA/EMS system is for low & high speed data, express voice circuits and administrative voice
circuits as defined as follows:

(a) High speed bundled n x E1 support including Ethernet, GbE (Gigabit Ethernet)
(b) High speed E1 channel support
(c) 64kbps & n x 64 kbps data & Protection channel support
(d) Low speed (300 -1200 bps) data channel support
(e) Voice (2 wires, 4 wires) channel support.
(f) Data transport supporting Network Management channels
(g) C37.94 Interface card for tele protection of lines
(h) Additional requirement, if any

The communication system shall finally form a wideband backbone to support the requirement of
the Power System Operation and Market operation.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

SCHEDULE

Part – III B
Standards Applicable to Wideband Communication (Fibre Optic cable)

1. General Requirement

a) All wideband communications shall be established using fibre optic communication

consisting of underground Fibre optic cable, OPGW & ADSS.
b) Un-armored cable shall be laid within a PVC/ Hume duct pipe. The cable shall be
rodent and termite proof.
c) The cable may contain 12/24/48 nos. Dual Window Single Mode (DWSM) or Dual
Window Multi Mode (DWMM) fibre depending on the local network design and
requirement envisaged and shall consider the overall design and requirement of the
backbone network.
d) Approach cable for OPGW termination to Fibre Optic Distribution Panel (FODP) shall
be armoured cable/Unarmored with suitable protection and matching the fiber count
equal to OPGW cable to maintain uniformity and ease of utilization of fibers.
e) Attenuation coefficient of the fibre shall be < 0.35 dB/km at wavelength of 1310 nm
and < 0.21 dB/km at wavelength of 1550 nm. Attenuation coefficient for each splicing
and connector shall < 0.05 dB. Induced attenuation due to temperature shall be <
0.05dB ( -60O C to +85O C)
f) The central fibre optic cable shall be protected through anti-hygroscopic tape/yarn, etc.
and shall be protected from damage due to forces like crushing, bending, twisting,
tensile stress and moisture, wide temperature variation, Hydrogen evolution etc.
g) The short Circuit Current for the OPGW cable shall be ≥ 6.32 kA for 1.0 second (for
220kV and above lines) and ≥ 5.60 kA for 1.0 second (for 132kV and 66kV lines); and
D.C. resistance at 20O C shall be < 1.0 ohm/km.
h) Everyday Tension (EDT) of the OPGW shall be < 20% of the Ultimate Tensile Strength
(UTS) of the OPGW.
i) The maximum permissible dynamic strain shall be +/- 150 micro strains.
j) Proof Stress Level shall be > 0.69 Gpa
k) Chromatic Dispersion; Maximum shall be 18ps/ (nm x km) @ 1550 nm ;3.5 ps/ (nm x
km) @ 1288-1339, 5.3 ps/ (nm x km) @ 1271-1360 nm

l) Zero Dispersion Wavelength shall be 1300 to 1324 nm

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

m) Zero Dispersion Slope shall be 0.092 ps/(nm²xkm) maximum

n) Cable Cut-off Wavelength λcc shall be < 1260 nm
o) Bend Performance shall be:
@ 1310 nm (75±2 mm dia Mandrel), 100 turns: Attenuation Rise < 0.05 dB
@1550 nm (30±1 mm radius Mandrel), 100 turns; Attenuation Rise < 0.05 dB
@ 1550 nm (32±0.5 mm dia Mandrel), 1 turn; Attenuation Rise < 0.50 dB
p) Polarization mode dispersion coefficient shall be < 0.2 ps/km½

2. Standards and Code of Practices

The fibre cable shall be conform to standards as below:

i) ITU-T recommended G.652D

ii) IEEE – 1138- 1994, IEEE – 1138-2009
iii) Electronics Industries Association (EIA)/ Telecommunications Industry Association
(TIA) 455-78A, 455-3A, 455-62A, 455-164A/167A/174, 455-168A/168A/175A, 455-
176, 455-59, EIA/TIA 598, EIA 455-104.
iv) International Electro Technical Commission Standards, IEC 60304, IEC 60794-1-2,
IEC60811-5-1, IEC 60794 – 4 – 10, IEC 60793 – 1 – 20, IEC 60793 – 1 – 40, IEC
60793 – 1 – 42, IEC 60793 – 1 – 45, IEC 60793 – 1– 47
v) Bell core GR-20
vi) Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC) Specification no. GR/OFC-17/01 June
2007 (including all subsequent amendments)
vii) American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM): AI67-92, ASTM:751-92b, ASTM:
A370-82, ASTM: D2581-91, ASTM: D2287-81, ASTM: D638 for FRP, ASTM: D217,
556,93-IP-34 for Jelly, ASTM: D 570,211 for PBTP, ASTM: D1505 for poly Carbonate,
ASTM: D1633, 150 for HDPE, ASTM: D1248 for Jacket density.
viii) Applicable standards for testing the cables shall be:
a. Max. Tensile Strength – IEC60794 – I – E 1 (Under Ground Cable), IS 802:1995
and IS 875:1987 (OPGW), IEEE 1138-2009 clause [Link] (OPGW)
b. Cable bend test – IEC 60794 – 1 – E 11
c. Repeated bending test – EIS – 455 – 104 IEC 60794 – 1 – E6
d. Crush Strength – IEC60794 – 1 – E3 (UG Cable) IEC 60794 – 1 – 2 Method E3
or EIA/TIA 455 – 41B (OPGW)
e. Impact Test IEC60794 - 1 – E4 (UG Cable), IEC60794 - 1 – 2 E4 or EIA/TIA 455-
25B (OPGW)

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Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

f. Torsion Resistance – IEC 60794 – 1 – E 7

g. Kink Test IEC 60794 – 1 - E 10
h. Drip Test IEC 60811 – 5 – 1 or IEC 60794 – 1 – E14
i. Water ingress test IEC60794 – 1 – 2 F 5 or EIA/TIA 455-82B
j. Attenuation variation with Wavelength IEC 60793 – 1 – 40 or EIA/TIA 455 – 78A
k. Attenuation at water Peak IEC 60793 – 1 – 40 or EIA/TIA 455 – 78A
l. Temperature Dependence on Attenuation IEC 60793 – 1 – 52 or EIA/TIA 455 –
3A (UG Cable) IEEE 1138-2009 clause [Link] or IEC 60794 – 1 – 2 Method F1
(OPGW)
m. Bend Performance IEC 60793 – 1 – 47 or EIA/TIA 455 – 62A (UG cable), IEEE
1138-2009 clause [Link] or IEC 60794 – 1 – 2 method E11 (for OPGW)
n. Mode Field diameter IEC 60793 – 1 – 45 or EIA/TIA 455 – 164A/167A/174
o. Chromatic desperation IEC 60793 – 1 – 42 or EIA/TIA 455 – 168A/169A/175A
p. Cladding diameter IEC 60793 – 1 – 20 or EIA/TIA 455-176
q. Point discontinuities of attenuation IEC 60793 – 1 – 40 or EIA/TIA 455 – 59
r. Core – Clad concentricity error IEC 60793 – 1 – 20 or EIA/TIA 455 – 176
s. Fibre tensile Performance IEC 60793 – 1 – 31 or EIA/TIA 455 – 31B (UG cable),
IEEE 1138-2009 clause [Link] or IEC60794 – I – 2 E1 or EIA/TIA 455 – 33B
(OPGW)
t. Seepage of filling compound EIA/TIA 455 – 81B
u. Short Circuit Test IEC 60794 – 4 – 10 or IEC 60794 – 1 – 2 (2003) Method H1 or
IEEE 1138-2009 clause [Link]
v. Aeolian Vibration Test IEC 60794 – 4 – 10 or IEC 60794 – 1 – 2 Method E19 or
IEEE 1138-2009 clause [Link]
w. Galloping IEEE 1138 – 2009
x. Sheave Test IEC 60794 – 1 – 2 (2003) Method E18 B or IEEE 1138-2009 clause
[Link]
y. Creep Test IEEE 1138 – 2009
z. Fibre Strain Test IEEE 1138 – 1994
aa. Strain Margin Test IEEE 1138 – 2009
bb. Stress Stain Test IEEE 1138 – 2009
cc. Cable cut off wavelength Test IEEE 1138 – 1994
dd. Fault current / Lightning Test IEC 60794 – 4 – 10 or IEC 60794 – 1-2 (2003)
ee. D.C. Resistance Test IEC 60228 or IEEE 1138-2009 clause [Link]
ff. Mechanical Strength Test for suspension Assembly IEC 61284: 1997

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

3. Functional Requirement

a) The attenuation coefficient for wavelengths between 1525 nm and 1575 nm shall not
exceed the attenuation coefficient at 1550 nm by more than 0.05 dB/km. The
attenuation coefficient between 1285 nm and 1330 nm shall not exceed the
attenuation coefficient at 1310 nm by more than 0.05 dB/km. The attenuation of the
fibre shall be distributed uniformly throughout its length such that there are no point
discontinuities in excess of 0.10 dB.

The overall optical fibre path attenuation shall not be more than calculated below:

Maximum attenuation @ 1550nm: 0.21 dB/km x total km + 0.05 dB/splice x no. of

splices + 0.5 dB/connector x no. of connectors

Maximum attenuation @ 1310nm: 0.35dB/km x total km + 0.05 dB/splice x no. of

splices + 0.5 dB/connector x no. of connectors.

b) All splices shall be encased in Fibre Optic Splice Enclosures. Suitable splice
enclosures shall be provided to encase the optical cable splices in protective, moisture
and dust free environment. Splice enclosures shall comply to ingress protection class
IP 66 or better.
c) No more than 12 fibres shall be terminated in a single splice tray. They shall be filled
with suitable encapsulate that is easily removable should re-entry be required into the
enclosures.
d) All FODPs shall be of corrosion resistant, robust construction and shall allow both top
or bottom entry for access to the splice trays. Ground lugs shall be provided on all
FODPs and shall be properly grounded. The FODP shall meet or exceed ingress
protection class IP55 specifications.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

SCHEDULE

Part – IV

Standards applicable to Power Line Communication (PLCC)

1. General Requirement

a) This mode of communication shall be used in the grid network between two
consecutive substations as per requirement of Transmission Utility.
b) The PLCC system shall provide Speech, Data and Tele-protection requirements of the
Power system. Protection coupler may be an internal module or external sub-rack.
c) Mode of communication shall be duplex, independent TX and RX channels, operating
in the carrier frequency spectrum 40 to 500 kHz.
d) The PLCC terminal could be operated in APLC (Analogue), pure DPLC (Digital) or
Mixed mode (combination of Analog and Digital), taking into consideration the Signal
to Noise Ratio (SNR) of the link.
e) Supply voltage 48V DC +15%, –10%. (positive pole earthed)
f) In the input circuit of the PLCC terminal protective devices shall be provided in the
form of zener diodes or surge suppressers in order to eliminate any surge transfer
through the coupling device or the surge induced in the connecting path of HF cable.
g) Companders and expanders shall be provided to improve voice transmission
characteristics for the system. The companders shall have at least 2:1 compression
ratio with a corresponding expansion ratio of 1:2. The operating range of compander
shall be compatible with the audio power levels specified for 4 wire operation. The
improvement gained by companders shall not be considered for power allocation and
shall be in-hand reserve.
h) Speech plus Data channels shall independently fulfill the SNR requirements out of the
power allocated to its channel from the total power of the PLCC terminals.
i) Fail safe devices shall be provided to avoid a malfunction in one unit or damage of any
sub-assembly. All plug-in equipment shall be fitted with features to avoid improper
insertion. The electrical cables shall not be routed across sharp edges or near sources
of high temperature. The adjustments, which are susceptible to maladjustment from
accidental contact/ vibration shall be equipped with suitable locking devices.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

j) The PLCC set shall be designed to give guaranteed performance from 0 to 500C. The
thermal capability of the equipment shall be so designed to be operational up to 55 0C
for 24 hours continuously.
k) The carrier set shall be provided with suitable supervision and alarm facilities.
Individual parts of the carrier set should be accessible from front making it possible to
place the carrier cabinets side-by-side. All components and parts of the carrier set
shall be suitably tropicalised.
l) The type of PLCC and number of channels per line and number of codes per channel
shall be as per prevalent CEA Regulations.
m) The responsibility of maintenance of communication system shall lies with the
transmission licensee providing communication services.
n) The programmability of PLCC equipment shall be applicable for Digital PLCC only.

2. Standards and Codes of Practice

a) The equipment shall follow the industry best practices and applicable industry
standards in respect of the equipment installation and its operation and maintenance.
b) IEC62488 Part-1, Part-2, Part-3: 2012 shall be considered while planning for Power
Line Carrier Communication System in Power Utility, specifications for Analog and
Digital terminals.
c) All the equipment shall comply with the relevant Standards like BIS, International
Electro-Technical Commission (IEC) Standard, or International Telecommunications
Union–Telecommunication Group (ITU–T), IEEE or any other equivalent International
Standard:

Provided that whenever an International Standard or International Electro-Technical

Commission Standard is followed, necessary corrections or modifications shall be
made for ambient temperature, humidity and other conditions prevailing in India before
actual adoption-of the said Standard.

The details are given below:

 Line Trap: IEC-60353, IS-8792,

 Coupling Device: IEC 60481, IS-8997,
 Power Line Carrier Terminal: IEC60495,
 CVT: IS-3156,
 Coupling Capacitor & CVT: IEC60358,
 Coupling Capacitor: IS-9348,

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

 RF cables: IS-11967,
 Planning of SSB PLCC: IEC-663,
 Surge Arrestors: IEC-60099,
 HF Cable Testing: IEC-60096,
 Performance and testing of Teleprotection equipment: IEC-60834 Part-I,
 Characteristics values for inputs and outputs of single side band PLCC
Terminals: IS-9428,
 Frequency planning of power Line carrier equipment: IS-9528/IC62488 Part-I.
 IEC 60255-27 for product safety requirements (Relays and Protection
equipment)
 IEC 60834-1 for Command Systems (Tele Protection equipment)
 IEC 61000 Series for Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)
 IEC 60950 Series for Electrical safety.
 IEC 60068 series for Environmental testing.
 Radiated Emissions as per CISPR 22
 Vibration as per EN60068 – 2 – 6
 Shocks parameter as per IEC 68 – 2- 27

d) The effects of wind, storms, floods, lightening, elevation, temperature extremes, icing,
contamination, pollution and earthquakes shall be considered in the design and
operation of the connected facilities.

3. Functional Requirement

a) PLCC equipment comprising of not limited to the following shall be provided:

i) Coupling devices (Line matching unit and protective devices).

ii) Coupling filters
iii) High frequency cable
iv) Power line carrier terminals
v) Tele Protection Equipment
vi) Private Automatic Exchange
vii) 48V DC power supply equipment
viii) Wave Trap for the above transmission lines

PLCC panels shall be located in the control room or in AC kiosks

b) PLCC link shall be provided with carrier protection of the transmission lines with tele-
metering and speech communication in dialing mode or express communication.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

c) Wave trap shall be inserted into the transmission lines to prevent undue loss of carrier
signal for all power system conditions.
d) Coupling device (Line matching unit and protective devices) shall be interposed between
the CVT and the connection line (co-axial cable) to the PLCC terminals to ensure:
i) The efficient transmission of signals from the connection line to the high voltage
line and vice versa.
ii) The safety of personnel and protection of low voltage parts of the installation
against the effects of power frequency voltage and over voltages. Phase-to-phase
coupling is to be adopted.
e) Coupling filters in conjunction with the capacitor of CVT shall constitute a broadband
pass filter. The characteristic impedance of the associated transmission line shall match
with the impedance of the connection line for PLCC transmitter/ receiver.
f) The primary of the coupling unit shall have low impedance at the operating frequency of
the transmission line (50Hz), so that the capacitor charging current (drainage of charging
current) of the CVT is grounded.
g) The matching transformer of the coupling device shall be provided with galvanic isolation
between input and output circuits and shall withstand a test voltage of at least 5kV rms for
1 minute.
h) The coupling device shall be provided with a protective device to protect the carrier
equipment against excess voltage on defective CVT.
i) A surge arrestor (SA) shall be connected directly between the primary and earth
terminals to protect the coupling device and the carrier frequency connection. The surge
arrestor shall have power frequency spark over voltage co-ordinated with the equipment
ahead of it.
j) The coupling device shall conform to the following carrier frequency operating
characteristics between phase to earth coupling units:
Nominal impedance 150 (for balanced secondary circuit)
1) Ω
(equipment side) 75 (for unbalanced secondary circuit)
2) Maximum composite loss dB 2
Return Loss dB Equal to or greater than 12 dB
3) Transmission band kHz 40 to 500

k) The composite loss is the power loss in the carrier signal after passing through the
coupling devices along with CVT’s. Coupling unit shall be loaded with its primary and
secondary impedance while capacitor is assumed to have no loss.
l) The capacitance of the CVTs with which the coupling unit is to be used for the above
transmission band shall be provided by transmission utility/owner.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

m) Two no. phase to earth coupling units shall be capable of inter-phase or inter-line
coupling. In case any separate matching transformer or matching unit is required, the
same shall be acceptable.
n) Suitable earth connecting switches for grounding the low voltage terminals of CVT for
carrying out maintenance or any other works on coupling unit shall be provided.
o) The coupling device shall be suitable for outdoor mounting and shall be fitted on the
steel structure. Temperature of metallic equipment mounted outdoor is expected to rise
up to 650C with ambient temperature of 500C.
p) The connection between coupling device and CVT shall be with 6mm2 copper wire
tapped with 11kV insulation tapes.
q) High frequency cable shall be provided to connect coupling unit installed in the
switchyard to the PLCC terminals installed indoors.
r) The cable shall be lead sheathed and round steel wire armoured. The cable shall be
insulated to withstand a test voltage of 4kV rms for one minute between conductor and
outer sheath. The high frequency co-axial cable with 75Ω impedance (unbalanced) shall
also be acceptable.
s) The values of attenuation per km of the cable at various values of carrier frequencies in
the range of 40 KHz to 500 kHz shall be provided by the maximum attenuation at
various frequencies shall be as follows:

Frequency (kHz) Attenuation (dB/km)

10 0.8
60 1.4
300 3.3
500 4.7

The cable shall be supplied on drum lengths of 500 or 1000 meters.

t) Single side band PLCC terminals of latest version equipped for fixed frequency duplex
system working shall be provided for superimposed channels (multipurpose) for speech
and protection purpose. The PLCC terminals shall be provided with HF hybrid filters and
shall have necessary frequency stability so that adjacent channel working is possible.
u) The PLCC terminals shall be provided with emergency call facilities from the carrier sets
for point to point carrier communication with telephone set with suitable provision for
keeping inside the cabinet.

4. Technical Requirement

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

a) Power line carrier communication (PLCC) conforming to latest IEC or equivalent

standard shall be provided as per requirement of Transmission Utility. PLCC shall be
suitable for use with the outdoor equipment viz. line traps, CVT, coupling device, HF
cable.
b) PLCC will primarily be provided for speech, protection and data services. PLCC
terminals shall be fully co-coordinated to match with the specific requirement for
transmission/ reception.
c) Carrier frequency of PLCC terminal
i) The PLCC equipment shall support PLCC mode of operation and Transmission
speed and spectral bandwidth shall be software programmable via PC/
Notebook.
ii) Modulation and coding shall be implemented as software functions in digital
signal processing (DSP) technology. Transmission mode shall be of duplex
working type.
iii) The nominal carrier frequency shall be programmable from 40 to 500kHz
minimum.
iv) The carrier frequency stability shall be equal or better than ±1ppm over the
operating temperature range.
v) The nominal bandwidth for transmitting or receiving shall be programmable from
4 to 8 kHz in steps of 4kHz. PLCC terminal at bandwidth of 4 kHz shall be
suitable for following configuration:
 Speech + 4 x 1200 Baud Data (minimum)
 The data rates shall be selectable in steps, compliant with commonly used
standardized data rates such as 200, 300, 600 and 1200 Bauds; and for
digital PLCC 1200, 2400, 4800 and 9600 Bauds.
 The modems for the above requirement shall be supplied with DPLC and
shall be an integral part of the equipment.
 The gross speed and transmission bandwidth shall be programmable for up
to 28.800kbit/s in 4 kHz spectral bandwidth, up to 72 kbit/s in 8 kHz
bandwidth.
 Transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) bands shall be configurable for adjacent or
non-adjacent operation.
 Transmit output power shall be user programmable for 10, 20 or 40W PEP
(Peak Envelope Power). However, minimum 80W PEP transmit power shall

34
 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

be supplied for achieving desired SNR in 765kV long transmission lines

(more than 300km) to overcome the noise.
 The nominal output impedance shall be programmable as 75 or 125Ω
unbalanced, or 150 Ω balanced as an option.
 The return loss in the transmitter band shall be >10dB
 The tapping loss shall be <1.5dB (as per IEC:60495).
 The AGC range of the receiver shall be 40dB (minimum)

The system shall support automatic transmission speed adaptation (DSA- dynamic
speed adaptation) in at least 2 user-defined steps, self-adapting to the prevailing line
condition (noise and interference). In case of decrease of SNR, priority shall be given
to data over voice. However uninterrupted flow of data shall be ensured even at a
level of SNR =25dB.
The broadband modem shall provide a facility for automatic detection and suppression
of narrowband interferers.

d) System operation

i) The PLCC equipment shall be programmable via Laptop PC/ Note book/ Human
Machine Interface (HMI)/ Graphical User Interface (GUI) based on Windows OS.
ii) The PLCC system shall facilitate the programming and monitoring of the DPLC
terminals in the standard GUI/ HMI (Human Machine Interface).
iii) Programming software shall be incorporated in the HMI for monitoring and
programming of the PLCC terminals. One number Laptop PC with above
programming software shall be provided.
iv) Potential free contact shall be made available for monitoring alarm/ link failure of
the DPLC. The potential free contact shall be suitable for rated voltage of 0.1A,
220V DC.

e) Speech (voice signal) transmission

i) In digital telephony the data rate of compressed telephony shall be field

programmable using PC/ Notebook for each telephony channel
ii) Speech interfaces shall be configurable as 4-wire E&M, 2-wire FXO or 2-wire
FXS.
iii) Inter-channel crosstalk shall be compliant with IEC60495.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

iv) A compander according to ITU-T G.162 shall be configurable via HMI for each
speech channel. The digital PLCC shall be suitable for connection to PABX for
speech requirement.
v) A service phone shall be provided with each PLCC terminal, multiplex with the
main speech channel.

f) Broadband Data Transmission

i) The PLCC terminal shall be provided with an integrated modems for broadband/
high speed data transmission. Transmission speed and spectral bandwidth shall
be programmable via PC/ Notebook.
ii) The gross speed and transmission bandwidth shall be programmable for up to
28.800kbit/s in 4kHz spectral bandwidth, up to 72kbit/s in 8kHz bandwidth.
iii) The data rates shall be selectable in steps, compliant with commonly used
standardized data rates such as 1200, 2400, 4800 and 9600Bauds.
iv) The system shall support automatic transmission speed adaptation (DSA-
dynamic speed adaptation) in at least 2 user-defined steps, self-adapting to the
prevailing line condition (noise and interference). In case of decrease of SNR,
priority shall be given to data over voice. However uninterrupted flow of data
shall be ensured even at a level of SNR =25dB.
v) The broadband modem shall provide a facility for automatic detection and
suppression of narrowband interferers.

g) Data multiplexing

i) The PLCC terminal shall be provided with an internal multiplexer for the time
division multiplexing of up to 8 serial data channels which can be allocated
individually to the internal modems.
ii) Data ports shall be compliant with V.24/V.28, RS232 and/ or V.11/ X.21/ X.24 s
per functional requirement.
iii) All data ports shall be electrically isolated from ground and against each other.
iv) An Ethernet port shall be provided for equipment configuration via LAN, or for
general IP forwarding. It shall have facility to operate @ 9600bits/s at good SNR
of 35dB and above within the nominal Band width of 4kHz. The above
functionality shall be possible for SNR of 25dB for Band width of 8kHz.
v) Ratings & requirements of PLCC terminals:

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

1) Mode of transmission Single side band amplitude

modulation

2) HF range kHz 40 to 500

3) Nominal carrier frequency band kHz 1no.x 4 (for single channel sets)
2nos.x 4(for twin channel sets)

4) - Effectively transmitted speech freq. band Hz 300 to 3400or more

or signal freq. band when only speech or
signal is transmitted

5) Effectively transmitted, speech plus signal Hz Speech: 300 to 2000

freq band in case of multi-purpose air Signal: 2160 to 3400
conditioned kiosks use or more

6) Nominal Impedance:
Carrier freq side: Ω 150 balanced or
75 unbalanced
VF side: Ω 600

7) Nominal carrier freq power Adequate to maintain prescribed

S/N ratio under adverse conditions

8) Supply voltage (DC) V 48 (-10 to +15%)

9) Freq difference between voice freq band As per relevant IEC/ IS

transmitter and receiver in a pair of PLCC
Terminals

10) Stability of carrier freq. from its nominal Hz ± 10

value

11) Effectively transmitted speech and data kHz Within 0.3 to 3.7
signal freq. band

12) Relative level across 600Ω (VF side)

- 4 wire transmit dB 0 to - 17
- 4 wire receive dB (-)3.5 to (+)8
- 2 wire transmit dB 0
- 2 wire receive dB (-)7

13) Level regulations control (Automatic Gain In case of a 30dB change in the
Control) carrier frequency signal level within
the regulation range, the change in
voice frequency receiver levels of
both speech & signals shall be less
than 1dB

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

14) Telephone signaling channel Frequency shift keying (pulse

distortions) of the tele-phonic
signaling channel at signaling speed
of 10 pulse per second shall be less
than 5ms for one pair of terminals.

The signaling channel shall be

operated by a potential free open or
closed contact at the transmit side
and provide a potential free change
over contact at the receiver side. All
relays to be provided in the speech
circuits shall be hermetically sealed.

15) 300 - 400Hz: -0.9 to +3.0dB or +1.5dB for the complete band of
400 - 600 Hz: - 0.9 to +1.8 dB 300 to 2000Hz (without com-
600 - 1600 Hz.: - 0.9 to +0.9 dB pander).
1600-2000 Hz. :- 0.9 to +1.8 dB

16) - Permissible limits for variation of overall loss (attenuation) of the speech channel
relative to 800Hz for back to back operation of one pair of terminals without com-pander

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

SCHEDULE

Part – V
Standards applicable to Cellular Technology

1. General Requirement

a) This type of communication may be used where no control function is envisaged and
are not proposed to be used in protection of power system equipment.
b) This mode of communication shall be used below 132 kV / 110 kV system for low
speed data acquisition system, where feasibility of access to wideband network is not
possible.
c) Installation of this mode of communication shall be adopted after ensuring the
available signal level up to the required strength (25 dbm) and dual SIM with different
service provider with automatic changeover to ensure 99.9 % link availability for
interruption free operation of the communication system.
d) Shall be designed for satisfactory and continuous (24x7) operation in open
environment with Max temperature of 60 deg. Centigrade and 100% humidity with hot,
tropical, dusty, humid, and conductive to rust and fungus growth.
e) Shall be designed for 230 volts +/- 30%, 50 Hz AC supply or 48 V DC or as specified.
f) Adequate isolation device to be provided with the modem which shall be capable to
withstand surges and voltage spikes of minimum 6 kV as per IEC 61000-4-5. The
modem shall safely withstand the fluctuations arising during transient and persistent
faults in the network without damage and mal operation.

2. Standards and Codes of Practice

a) EMI / EMC requirements

i) Electrostatic Discharge as per IEC 61000 – 4 -2
ii) Fast transient Burst as per IEC 61000 – 4 – 4
iii) Surges immunity as per IEC 61000 – 4 – 5
iv) Conducted Emissions as per IEC 61000 – 3 – 2 and CISPR 22
v) Radiated Emissions as per CISPR 22

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

vi) Radiate Immunity as per IEC 61000 – 4 – 3

vii) Vibration as per EN600068 – 2 – 6
viii) Shocks parameter as per IEC 68 – 2- 27
b) The modem shall be compliant with ETSI GSM Phase 2+ standards
c) The receiving device shall have IPSec, PPTP, and L2TP VPN support up to 8
concurrent tunnels with max 70Mbps throughput
d) The communication equipment / modem shall comply with IP 65 rating.

3. Functional Requirement

a) Field interface shall be optical port / RS 232 / RS 485 / MODBUS / DLMS

b) Data received shall be automatically validated by validation rules
c) The modem shall support dual SIM cards
d) The receiving device shall support IEC - 60870 -5- 101 & IEC - 60870 -5-104 protocol
& DLMS (IS15959/IEC 62056) for interfacing
e) The receiving end shall have multi WAN VPN Concentrator shall have built in facility to
manage at least 250 remote nodes for a fixed IP provided.
f) The receiving end shall have redundant Multi WAN VPN Concentrator with a fall over
– fall back feature for uninterrupted data communication
g) Gate way level security through single appliance (Unified Threat Management-UTM)
comprising of firewall, Antivirus, Intrusion Prevention system (IPS), Intrusion Detection
system (IDS) etc. shall be adopted to ensure Cyber Security.
h) The router shall be capable of handling VPN based security by assuming a fixed IP
issued by the Multi-AN VPN Concentrator at the SCADA end
i) Shall have the capability of data encryption with 3DES to ensure secured
communication network over GPRS (3G/4G), Broadband or latest.

j) Device can decide and act according to the best available link in redundant mode
configuration.

k) QoS (Quality of Service) and Bandwidth management for optimal bandwidth usage.

l) Centralized Monitoring at Control Centre shall be available. Modem shall indicate link
availability; and may indicate Bit Error Rate (BER).

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

SCHEDULE

Part – VI
Standards applicable to VSAT

1. General Requirement

a) This type of communication shall not be used for primary protection function of Power
system and can be used for SCADA control functions of power system equipment as
Geo-Stationery Satellite hop delay is 240 ms
b) This mode of communication shall be used for remote locations where access to
wideband network is not possible
c) The VSAT terminal shall be able to work with all geostationary satellites visible from
India and work efficiently from all parts of India.
d) The VSAT terminal shall work either on C-band or extended C band for interruption
free 24 X 7 operation in extremely rainy (more than 10mm/hour intensity) and cloudy
conditions.
e) This mode of communication shall be adopted after ensuring the available signal level
up to the required level by the service provider and link availability (99.9 percent) for
interruption free operation of the communication system. NMS should be having facility
of maintaining link status along with signal strength of the nodes.
f) This mode of communication shall not be connected to the National wideband
network.
g) The size of the antenna should be as per WPC/DOT guidelines. All regulatory
clearance from various regulatory bodies like DOT / WPC etc. shall be taken to
operate the VSAT communication as its guidelines.
h) The VSAT Service Provider shall have redundant configuration enabled in Network
Management System (NMS).
i) Pull Band width feature shall be adopted for the VSAT Network.

2. Standards and Codes of Practice

The equipment shall be conforming to latest revision of ITU-R recommendation S.580-6

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

3. Functional Requirement

a) Uplink and down link configuration shall be redundant (1 + 1)

b) The network shall be designed based on FTDMA / MFTDAM / SCPC DAMA
technology or any other proven future technology with configurable data rate as per
data communication requirement.
c) Bit error rate shall be greater than 1 X 10 -7 (data) to 1 X 10 -4 (Voice)
d) Shall support Broadcast, Unicast, Multicast, TCP spoofing
e) Shall support IP RJ-45 (IP and E&M),
f) Receiving device should support IEC - 60870 -5-104 protocols for interfacing data as
well as to IPv4, IPv6, RIP v1, v2, ARP, ICMP, TCP, UDP, Telnet, IGMP, v1, v2, SNMP
for networking Utilities.
g) Necessary protection / Firewall with IPS shall be provided to ensure Cyber Security.
h) Shall be designed for 230 V +/- 30% AC power supply at 50 Hz.
i) Shall be designed for trouble free operation at temperature range -10 0 to 550
Centigrade and humidity up to 95% non-condensing. Shall be designed for wind speed
of minimum 80 kmph (Operational)
j) Shall be able to deliver bidirectional composite data traffic.
k) Round trip delay shall be less than 600 ms
l) The VSAT IDU (for remote sites) shall support TCP/IP without the need of an external
router.
m) The VSAT terminal shall have separate storage banks for software and firmware, to
enable configuration changes pertaining to either the terminal (firmware) or the overall
system architecture (software), without affecting the other.
n) The terminals should be able to take the software and firmware downloads from the
hub over the air, without any disturbance to the online user traffic while in operation on
per terminal (Unicast), per group (Multicast) or entire network (Broadcast) basis.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

SCHEDULE

Part – VII
Standards Applicable to Microwave RF

1. General Requirement

i) This type of communication may be used where no control function is envisaged and are
not proposed to be used in protection of power system equipment.
ii) It shall be designed for satisfactory and continuous (24 X 7) operation in open
environment with Max temperature of 60 deg Centigrade and 100% humidity with hot,
tropical, dusty, humid, and conductive to rust and fungus growth.
iii) The system shall remain fully operational for the next 10 years and shall consequently
not be affected by obsolescence.
iv) The solution shall utilize a license/unlicensed radio spectrum (subject to WPC/ DOT
Authority requirements).
v) It shall be capable of delivering data, voice and video traffic (video conferencing,
multicasting) over the radio network.
vi) It shall be error free transmission of all types of traffic in the proposed network.
vii) All the base locations will be inter-connected and all remote locations to its based
stations in a Point to Multi-point architecture
viii) Shall provide all services for running of all the traffic between point-to-point and point to
multipoint links.
ix) It shall have connection to all the given sites in the proposed network with clear line of
site.

2. Standards and Codes of Practice

Radio technology: TDD OFDM

Safety: UL 60950-1, EN 60950-1

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

Frequency band: As per WPC

LAN Data entry compliance: IEEE 802.3
Latency: <5mSec
Radio regulations: FCC, WPC
Safety: FCC/IC
EMC: FCC

3. Functional Requirement

(i) The antenna provided shall be redundant. Each set shall comprise of two independent
Radios with antenna, cables, IDU, ODU
(ii) The individual system shall comprise of outdoor & indoor equipment, antenna, cables
(RF/IF) with connectors, system software required for operation, monitoring &
configuration of the link
(iii) It shall be a carrier type Point-to-Point Broadband Wireless Access radio system, with
99.9% reliability
(iv) The system shall be of reliable and field proven design and suitable for harsh
environmental conditions. Outdoor Radio equipment must be IP-67 compliant & certified
(v) The system shall support Flexible Quality of Services and concurrent use of IP, VoIP &
Video
(vi) Capable of Channel Bandwidth selection of 5MHz 10 MHz,20MHz,40MHz with 5 MHz
steps
(vii) EIRP as per WPC norms (36 dBM)
(viii) Shall have a support for dual pole (MIMO) External Antenna to provide higher capacity.
Shall support Antenna diversity in order to Run the link under frequency interference
environment
(ix) Flexible symmetric link supporting up to 50:50% UL/DL in either direction for enabling
different applications like voice, video and data
(x) Modulation Schemes: BPSK, QPSK,16-QAM, 64-QAM-MIMO OFDM with forward
error correction (FEC)
(xi) Transmit power control- within allowable EIRP as per WPC regulations
(xii) Shall support TELNET/SNMP based / NMS with SNMP Agent: SNMP VI/V2/V3 client,
MIB II, Bridge MIB
(xiii) VLAN Support: Based on IEEE 802.1Q, 802.1P and QinQ Tagging/un-tagging

44
 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

(xiv) QoS- IP ToS/DSCP/DiffServ. Classification based on services/VLAN (4 Queue)

(xv) Security: AES-128-bit authentication. The radios shall have the capability for locking
MAC address. System shall be FIPS -197 certified
(xvi) Input Power 48-59 V DC & Power Consumption 15 W typical, 25 W max, 55 W max
with Aux port PoE out enabled
(xvii) Shall have facility to upgrade Software/Firmware over the air
(xviii) Minimum distance upto 70 Km & Radio shall support 200Mbps usable throughput up to
5 Km
34 Mbps (full duplex) at 70 Km
70Mbps (full duplex) 40 Km
90 Mbps (full duplex) 25 Km
(xix) Radio shall support and store performance logs for and up one month
(xx) Operating temperature
(a) Outdoor Unit- -40°C to 60°C
(b) Indoor Unit- 0°C to 40°C
(xxi) Equipment shall support protected Ethernet ring topology
(xxii) Offered system shall be supported with RF planning tool for ease of RF planning

45
 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

SCHEDULE

Part – VIII
Standards Applicable to Radio Frequency Canopy based
Communication

The primary function of the communication network is to provide a highly reliable bidirectional data
communication system in support of multiple Smart Grid applications like AMI, DA, Sub-station
management, Automatic Demand Response, Streetlight Management, DER & Renewable
integration, Electric Vehicle Charging, HAN and Home Automation etc.

1. General Requirement

(a) This type of communication may be used where no control function is envisaged and are
not proposed to be used in protection of power system equipment.
(b) This mode of communication may be used in implementation of Smart Grid Applications.
(c) It shall be designed for satisfactory and continuous (24 X 7) operation in open
environment with Max temperature of 60 deg Centigrade and 100% humidity with hot,
tropical, dusty, humid, and conductive to rust and fungus growth.
(d) The system shall remain fully operational for the next 10 years and shall consequently
not be affected by obsolescence.
(e) The solution shall utilize a license/unlicensed radio spectrum (subject to WPC/ DOT
Authority requirements).
(f) RF communication canopy if developed over any of the unlicensed frequencies in India
should utilize these frequencies 865-867 MHz/2.4 GHz /5.8 GHz.
(g) All RF canopy elements are required to adhere to the Wireless Planning Commission,
India (WPC) latest guidelines.
(h) The Communication Service Provider (CSP) shall ensure that their devices and
installations are within the acceptable human exposure limits per international
standards/WPC norms and as required for the utility service territory.

46
 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

(i) All elements of communication canopy should be interoperable with elements of any other
alliance member and in case if there is any version upgrade or change in standard for the
applicable products, the CSP should accommodate all such changes.
(j) The equipment shall be weatherproof, dustproof and constructed for outdoor installation on
poles (minimum rating: IP65). The mounting provision shall be for either pole mounting or
mounting brackets for flat surfaces.
(k) Enclosure Provision for security sealing shall be provided and in case the gasket of the cover is
used for protection against moisture, dust and insects, the gasket shall be of weather and
aging resistant material made of neoprene or equivalent.
(l) Operating Voltage shall be 24V DC; (48VDC/230VAC for Gateway) with 50% tolerance. The
single phase auxiliary power supply should operate in the range 95 V- 270 V. Power backup of
network elements should be 10 hrs.
(m) It is required that the network conforms to relevant DOT standards.

2. Design Requirements

a) Radio Frequency Canopy shall be deployed on IPv6 based 6LoWPAN RF mesh network
technology.
b) It shall provide scalability, interoperability and certain level of future proofing.
c) The Design shall be reliable, interference free & robust communication network keeping
in view the site conditions. It shall be flexible in terms of providing communication in
variable terrain & urban density.
d) The communication network shall have facility for auto registration and self-healing. It
should be fault tolerant & “sleepy” in nature to optimize on resources.
e) All Network element shall
i. Be of industrial grade construction
ii. Be certified by competent authority for use in India.
iii. Be Mountable as pole top devices
iv. Have a lifespan of at least 10 years’ post go live.
f) Communication canopy solution shall have necessary Disaster Recovery (DR) &
security mechanisms in place and also shall guarantee performance of the entire system
in quantifiable terms, for all conceivable parameters for entire life cycle.
g) The solution should conform/ comply to both IPv6 and IPv4 network protocols with
backward compatibility feature.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

h) RF canopy shall be designed to operate at minimum 50 % of designed capacity (peak

data requirement with guaranteed performance) for full scale deployment and balance
capacity shall cater to performance expectations during difficult & challenging times and
also for meeting future applications.
i) CSP may also utilize third party mobile towers for creating RF canopy, for that CSP
should have back to back arrangement with tower owner for minimum of 10 years.
j) Last mile mesh network must support auto-registration and self-healing feature to
continue operation using easiest possible available route in case of failure of any
communication device in the mesh.
k) Communication network should be immune with any external Magnetic
field/ESD/Jammer/HV voltage influence such that it shall not affect the normal overall
functionality.
l) Last mile communication infrastructure created shall be scalable over the air for
supporting more end-point deployments and other applications in future.
m) The DCUs are to be installed at a suitable maintainable height.
n) Design the complete solution for minimum availability of 99.5% at any point of time.
o) The necessary power backup facility shall be available in all the communication devices.
p) communication network should be reliable, scalable, not impacted by noise and shall
have facility for auto registration and self-healing features.
q) Communication network shall support up-gradation of the Firmware / software in the
communication modules/devices and smart meters from remote over-the-air (OTA) from
time to time to meet the increasing demand of the system in operation / overcoming
system limitations / bugs.

3. Functional Requirements

a) The communication canopy should be capable to integrate with multiple types of field
devices including Smart Meter, HAN devices, SCADA devices, DA devices, DR devices,
FPI, Street Light devices, Capacitor bank controllers, Voltage Regulator, Network
protectors, Solar, DER devices, EV charging etc.
b) RF canopy should support multiple applications data and all end-points should be able to be
connect to either the AMI Head End System AND/OR to the respective control & monitoring
system

48
 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

c) Be capable of communicating with large numbers of end points simultaneously over the same
network at the same time maintaining prioritization (quality of service) as required for
operational applications
d) Have the capability to use an external antenna to extend communication range
e) Have the ability to support multiple communication protocols to provide flexibility to cover
existing and future protocols as per different applications as mentioned in the scope.
f) The data flow between the DCU and HES should be available in redundancy mode on Cellular
(3G & 4GLTE) or MPLS, Fibre etc.
g) Communication canopy should support data rate of 100 kbps or more or as per requirements
of different applications as mentioned in the scope.
h) Phase reversal & phase natural interchange shall not affect the gateway/router functionality in
any manner.
i) Network should support traffic prioritization, filtering, shaping etc. Data traffic/ congestion
measures are required so that communication canopy elements can efficiently handle the
volumes of asynchronous or synchronous data that will potentially be routed through their
hardware.
j) Each mesh network device/ endpoints must be able to connect to at least two peers/base
stations for redundancy.
k) Each meter should be able to access minimum of 2 routers address/ endpoints dynamically.
l) Communication Network should have minimum following Functionality:
i. Automatic Node Discovery
ii. Dynamic Re-routing
iii. Self-Healing mechanism through re-routing and built-in network redundancy
iv. Downloading configuration data to field devices/ meters
v. Supervision and optimization of the Communication Canopy communication network
by computing performance statistics to achieve maximal channel capacity
vi. Troubleshooting of devices from field, reading of data from end devices with portable
tools, detection and reporting of trouble conditions such as link breaks and device
failures
vii. Support for IPv6 with backward compatibility to IPv4 is a must
viii. Each gateway device should have 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet Port to
connect to any Circuit switched / packet switched network such as SDH / MPLS

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

4. Network Management System

Suitable network management system (NMS) shall be provided to monitor the performance of
the communication canopy round the clock from the Control Centre of respective DISCOMs.
The NMS shall provide view of all the networking elements deployed at site and enable
configuration, parameterization of the networking devices and the nodes over the air.

5. Standards and Codes of Practice

a. The Communication Canopy Communication Devices shall comply to the following

standards: EEE 802.15.4 – IEEE standard for Information Technology –
Telecommunications and Information Exchange between Systems – Local and
Metropolitan Area Networks –Wireless Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical layer
(PHY); IEEE 802.15.4g – IEEE Standard for Smart Utility Networks or any other equivalent
standard /alliance and Relevant Indian Standards.
b. The communication network shall support multiple protocols including DLMS/COSEM, IEC
60870-5-104, DNP3 for transfer of data to HES and ensure secure communication to HES.
c. Interoperability: IEEE 802.15.4 and IEEE 802.15.4g or equivalent implementations.

6. Data Security and Encryption Protocols

It is required that the solution adheres to following security protocols and practice:

a) Certificate-based identities user names and passwords

b) Role based access control
c) Link-layer encryption
d) Group based key generation and management
e) Network layer encryption
f) 802.1x based access control for meters, routers, grid devices
g) Data encryption applied on all data following through the communication channel through
Asymmetric encryption between Smart Meter and HES
h) Sensitive information must be encrypted in the database
i) Preference is for user access to be managed in a central area using Role Base Security

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

j) Password policy to enforce password rules

k) Manage the length of active sessions, and retries
l) The use of Digital certificates
m) Audit logs to track user changes (Audit trails)

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

SCHEDULE

Part – IX
Narrow Band Power Line Communication

The primary function of the Narrow Band Power Line Communication is to provide a highly reliable
bidirectional data communication system in support of multiple Smart Grid applications in
Neighborhood Area Network(NAN) for AMI, DA, Automatic Demand Response, Streetlight
Management, DER & Renewable integration, Electric Vehicle Charging etc. and Home Area
Network and Home Automation etc.

1. General Requirement

a) This type of communication may be used where no protection function is envisaged and
are not proposed to be used in protection of power system equipment.
b) This mode of communication may be used in implementation of Smart Grid Applications.
c) It Shall be designed for satisfactory and continuous (24 X 7) operation in open environment
with Max temperature of 60 deg Centigrade and 100% humidity with hot, tropical, dusty,
humid, and conductive to rust and fungus growth.
d) The system shall remain fully operational for the next 5-10 years and shall consequently
not be affected by obsolescence.
e) It is required that the network conforms to DOT privacy standards.

2. Design Requirements

a) Narrow Band Power Line Communication shall be deployed on IPv6 based 6LoPLC
network technology.
b) It should provide scalability, interoperability and certain level of future proofing
c) Design a reliable, interference free & robust communication network keeping in view the
site conditions. It shall be flexible in terms of providing communication in variable terrain &
urban density.

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

d) All Network element must:

i. Be of industrial grade construction
ii. All network elements should be certified by competent authority for use in India.
e) The solution shall conform/ comply to both IPv6 and IPv4 network protocols with backward
compatibility feature.
f) Last mile PLC network shall support auto-registration and self-healing feature to continue
operation using easiest possible available route in case of failure of any communication
device in the mesh.
g) PLC Communication network shall not be impacted by noise

3. Functional Requirements

a) PLC technology shall enable convenient two-way communications for home users and utility
companies to monitor and control electric plugged devices such as electricity meters and
street lights etc.
b) The Narrow Band Power Line Communication (NB-PLC) shall be capable to integrate with
multiple types of field devices including Smart Meter, HAN devices, SCADA devices, DA
devices, DR devices, FPI, Street Light devices, Capacitor bank controllers, Voltage Regulator,
Network protectors, Solar, DER devices, EV charging, etc.
c) The Narrow Band Power Line Communication shall support multiple applications data and all
end-points shall be able to be connect to either the AMI Head End System AND/OR to the
respective control & monitoring system
d) Network should support traffic prioritization, filtering, shaping etc. Data traffic/ congestion
measures are required so that NB-PLC elements can efficiently handle the volumes of
asynchronous or synchronous data that will potentially be routed through their hardware.

4. Network Management System

Suitable Network Management System (NMS) shall be provided to monitor the performance of
the communication canopy round the clock from the Control Centre of DISCOM. The NMS
shall provide view of all the networking elements deployed at site and enable configuration,
parameterization of the networking devices from the control center.

5. Standards and Codes of Practice

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 Draft Technical Standards for Communication System in Power System Operation

1. The Narrow Band Power Line Communication shall comply to the following standards:
IEEE 1901.2, ITU-T G.9902 ([Link]), ITU-T G.9901, ITU-T G.9903 (G3-PLC) and ITU-T
G.9904 (PRIME).
2. The communication network shall support multiple protocols including DLMS/COSEM, IEC
60870-5-104, DNP3 for transfer of data to HES and ensure secure communication to
HES.
3. Narrow Band Power Line Communication devices shall comply Equipment
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) standards: IEEE 1775 for Power Line
Communication Equipment (EMC) Requirements.

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