I have long been advocating that new business models, based on a trans-sector approach (breaking down silos), need to be developed in a rapidly changing green and digital economy.

I very much welcome the vision of two American companies, who have not just talked about it but have actually done it.

As far as I know, Hancock Telecom and Central Indiana Power in the USA are the first telco and power company to merge in order to reap the benefits of converging and transforming industries. The newly merged entity is called: NineStar Connect.

Both companies had a need to deploy fibre in territories that largely overlapped.

The electricity company realised that deploying fibre would be the best option for its smart grids plans; and it also realised that this would most probably lead them into new markets, such as telecoms. At that point in time they decided to talk to the local telecoms company.

On the telco side there were also only positives. By working with the power company it avoided facing a potential new competitor in the market; and by taking a trans-sector approach the costs of fibre could be shared.

Also, together they had much more chance of extending the network outside their current footprints.

Having convinced the regulators that the move had the potential to save costs for customers of both companies, they received regulator approval. The two companies also received over 80% shareholder approval, indicating that they had been able to put forward a good business case.

Since the merger in January 2011 there have been no lay-offs, demonstrating the supplementary nature of the deal.

By mid-2011 55% of homes in NineStar Connect’s territory were reached by FTTH, and this is set to grow to 75% by the end of the year. On the smart grid side, the aim for 2011 is to deploy smart meters to 50% of electric customers, with the other half receiving meters in 2012.

Initially some smart meters will be connected via a 900 MHz wireless connection; however the aim is for all meters to eventually be connected via fibre.

The smart meters the company is deploying initially will support meter reading and will be collecting data every 15 minutes, with the goal of eventually supporting more sophisticated capabilities, such as the ability to interface with smart appliances within a customer’s home, enabling customers to use those appliances at times when demand, and cost, are lower.

Another element of NineStar’s smart grid deployment involves interconnecting substations via fibre so that outages can be addressed more quickly.