DLMS/COSEM for smart metering The DLMS/COSEM standard suite (IEC 62056 / EN 13757-1) is the most widely accepted international standard for utility meter data exchange. This global acceptance is clearly demonstrated by the continued fast growth of the membership of the DLMS User Association and by the number of meter types certified to be DLMS / COSEM compliant.

The DLMS / COSEM standard suite has been developed based on two strong and proven concepts: object modelling of application data and the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. This allows covering the widest possible range of applications and communication media.

This clear, flexible and future-proof architecture allows us to continuously extend the scope of DLMS / COSEM to cover new applications and new communication media. Initially, it was primarily used in the commercial & Industrial segment of electricity metering over PSTN and GSM networks. Today, DLMS / COSEM forms the basis of large multi-utility smart metering projects using GPRS and PLC networks to transport data. The necessary extensions are the results of a good co-operation between utilities and meter manufacturers, members of the DLMS UA, working on those projects. They include such important additions as data exchange with meters measuring various utilities, customer information, load management and load switching, firmware update, event management, end-to-end cryptographic data security and new communication media.

This wide scope and flexibility places DLMS / COSEM in the centre of smart meter standardization efforts in Europe and in Asia.

The DLMS User Association maintains a liaison since 2002 with IEC TC 13 WG 14, the standardisation body responsible for establishing standards for electricity meter data exchange. The purpose of this liaison is to provide registration and maintenance services for the IEC 62056 DLMS / COSEM standards suite, and to perform pre-standardization work. In addition, the DLMS UA operates the conformance testing scheme. Given that the European counterpart of IEC TC 13, CENELEC TC 13 has an important task in fulfilling the smart metering standardisation mandate M/441 issued by the European Commission, the DLMS UA has initiated the establishment a Technical Liaison Partnership with CENELEC. In addition, we seek establishing a liaison with CEN TC 294, responsible for data exchange with utility meters other than electricity, as their EN 13757-1 standard is already partly based on DLMS / COSEM.

The DLMS User Association also participates in the OPEN meter consortium. Open meter is a European research project the objective of which is to develop a set of new European standards for smart metering, covering all utilities, all applications and all media, based on a flexible and future proof architectures to guarantee interoperability. The DLMS UA contributes to most Work Packages, including the establishment of the state-of-the-art, the assessment of the existing standards and technologies, the identification of gaps, the development of new elements filling those gaps identified, the development of the test processes and the drafting of the new suite of standards. The DLMS UA is also the leader of the Dissemination Work Package.