The proposed Standard Transfer Specification (STS), a metering code, which is expected to be introduced soon, according to electricity distribution companies (DisCos) in Lagos, is not intended to raise the electricity tariff.
The code, a software that is of an international standard, is to upgrade old meters to STS rollover, according to a top official in one of the Discos in Lagos who requested anonymity and spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.
DisCos in Nigeria have reportedly already advised their customers to upgrade their meters before August, according to our earlier so you don’t lose them.
A secure message system called the STS rollover is used to transmit data between a point of sale (PoS) and a meter.
The official stated that the timeline for the upgrade would end in November 2024 and that customers’ meters needed to be upgraded to allow for accessibility.
He claims that each DisCo has its metering coding scheduled differently.
“Some have set August as their date. 1, but ours does not fall on the same day. Nevertheless, it will be completed before the deadline of November 2024.
For our customers using the STS TID rollover system, we will make sure the migration is seamless.
Without affecting reading or the payment model, the software will be upgraded.
There are intelligent units in the electricity process that move the load to a different source.
The staff continued, “The technology of remote communication makes the function and recharge of prepaid meter possible.”.
The TID – Token Identifier, according to the source, is a 24 bit field present in STS compliant tokens that identifies the date and time the tokens were generated.
It is used, according to him, to determine whether a token has already been used in a payment meter.
By November 2024, the source predicted, the software’s upper limit would be reached, resulting in a rollover to zero.
Additionally, he stated that this would be required for the TID rollover in order to enable meter upgrade and recharge.
According to the source, customers must load their meters with a Key Change Token (KCT), a unique rest token, in order to upgrade their meters.
Customers will receive a KCT from the DisCos offices or their representatives along with the energy tokens they have purchased at the point of purchase.
The official added, “Customers will only need to use KCT once, and subsequent energy purchases will be as usual.”.
He claimed that aside from faulty or outdated meters, no customers’ meters needed to be changed in order to enable the upgrade.
By-Eghosa-Osawe Jr.
