Cable&Wireless Worldwide and Silver Spring Networks Sign Global Partnership Agreement With EcoIsland

LONDON, November 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

C&W WORLDWIDE AND SILVER SPRING TO PROVIDE SMART GRID PLATFORM FOR THE ISLE OF WIGHT'S LANDMARK SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT

UK ISLAND AIMS TO BECOME ENTIRELY ENERGY SELF SUFFICIENT BY 2020

Cable&Wireless Worldwide (LSE: CW.) and Silver Spring Networks are pleased to announce that that they have signed an agreement to participate in the EcoIsland Partnership, the largest energy sustainability project in the UK. The EcoIsland Partnership's objective is to make the Isle of Wight energy self-sufficient by 2020. The project will implement wind, solar, tidal and geothermal renewable energy generation technologies connected to a smart grid to deliver clean energy reliably and efficiently.

C&W Worldwide and Silver Spring will be the global communications partner to provide the smart grid platform to link renewable technologies, the grid and all of the homes and businesses across the Isle of Wight into an integrated system. This will be the UK's first holistic, self-sustaining smart grid system and will help the community to manage energy supply and demand with greater efficiency. C&W Worldwide and Silver Spring Networks will deploy ubiquitous, secure, low-cost network connectivity for the smart grid that will be leveraged across a broad set of secure, pervasive, IPv6-based smart grid and smart metering initiatives.

The EcoIsland Partnership strategy will reduce the cost of living and improve the quality of life of Isle of Wight inhabitants and promote energy sustainability to the rest of the world. The EcoIsland Partnership is a Community Interest Company, a new type of company designed to allow social enterprises to reinvest their profits and assets in the communities they serve.

James Pace, Managing Director UK / Ireland of Silver Spring Networks said: "Our partnership with EcoIsland underscores our commitment to delivering the benefits of a truly smart energy grid to the UK. Our mission is to improve lives by transforming the global delivery of energy. Together with Cable&Wireless Worldwide, we will be working toward creating a unique communications network footprint on the island that can be used to connect smart meters, and other smart grid devices. We are delighted to be a partner in such an historic undertaking and look forward to helping EcoIsland achieve its goal of complete energy sustainability."

Patrick Razavet, Director of Utilities and Smart, Cable&Wireless Worldwide added: "The EcoIsland is stand-out in it's intent, and will be a stand-out example of how a truly sustainable, low-carbon community can be nurtured, created, and made real. Delivering enabling communications technologies, smart meters, sensors for photovoltaic cells, distribution automation, over a pervasive networking infrastructure everywhere will demonstrate what a "Smart Grid" and a "Smart Community" really look and feel like. Cable&Wireless Worldwide believes that communications networks are a fundamental building block on that journey, and therefore critical to the UK's energy future. We believe that EcoIsland can deliver that promise."

David Green, founder of EcoIsland said: "Cable&Wireless Worldwide and Silver Spring will play an integral role in the creation of a sustainable energy system and we are delighted that they have become partners in this project. Their technology will allow us to centrally coordinate all renewable energy generation and enable the creation of a truly smart energy grid here on the Isle of Wight."

Notes to editors:

About EcoIsland

Web address: http://www.eco-island.org

Other partners in this project include IBM, Toshiba, Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and ITM Power.

About Cable&Wireless Worldwide

Cable&Wireless Worldwide (LSE: CW.) is a leading global telecoms company providing a wide range of high-quality managed voice, data, hosting and IP-based services and applications to large multinational companies, governments, carrier customers and resellers across the UK, Asia Pacific, India, Middle East & Africa, Continental Europe and North America. Established in the 1860s, Cable&Wireless Worldwide helps more than 6,000 organisations deliver their goals. The Group's vision is to be the first choice for mission critical communications.

Reaching 20,500km in length, Cable&Wireless Worldwide owns the UK's largest fibre network dedicated to business users of telecoms, and provides ubiquitous nationwide access through a combination of fibre, digital, microwave, radio and leased circuits. The network has presence in over 400 towns and cities in the UK, with 864 unbundled exchanges covering 56% of the population.

Internationally, Cable&Wireless Worldwide's global next-generation network (NGN) stretches to more than 425,000km, including interests in 60 global cable systems, enabling connectivity to more than 150 countries. The Group's IP-based Multi-Service Platform operates at the core of our NGN, offering a single environment on which voice and data applications can be converged to drive business efficiencies. Cable&Wireless Worldwide's network is uniquely designed with inbuilt resilience.

With more than 6,000 colleagues globally, Cable&Wireless Worldwide is committed to delivering exceptional customer service and developing long term partnerships with its customers.

To find out more, please visit http://www.cw.com

About Silver Spring Networks

Silver Spring Networks provides a leading networking platform and solutions that enable utilities to transform the power grid infrastructure into the smart grid, helping utilities achieve operational efficiencies, reduce carbon emissions and empower their customers with new ways to monitor and manage their energy consumption. Silver Spring provides the hardware, software and services that allow utilities to deploy and run multiple advanced solutions, including Advanced Metering, Demand Response Management and Distribution Automation, over a single, unified network. Silver Spring's Smart Energy Platform is based on open, Internet Protocol (IP) standards, allowing continuous, two-way communication between the utility and devices on the grid. Silver Spring has numerous deployments with utilities in the US and abroad, including Baltimore Gas and Electric, Florida Power & Light, Jemena Electricity Networks Limited, Pacific Gas & Electric, Pepco Holdings, Inc., and United Energy Distribution, among others.

Silver Spring Networks has received other major industry awards including: CNBC's 2010 Top 15 Green Tech Startups (ranked No. 2); The Wall Street Journal's Top 10 Venture-Backed, Clean Technology Companies; Greentech Media's Top 50 VC-Funded Greentech Startups; Fast Company's 2010 Most Innovative Companies: Energy; the 2010 GridVision Awards; the CRO Responsible CEO of the Year award; The Carbon Trust: CleanTech 100; Number 1 in the 2010 'AlwaysOnGoingGreen Silicon Valley 100, among others.

These recent honors reflect Silver Spring Networks' on-going commitment to innovation, operational excellence and maintaining strong relationships with its utility partners.

For additional information, please visit http://www.silverspringnet.com.

Contacts:

Cable&Wireless Worldwide
Robin Campbell-Burt, Associate Director, Spreckley Partners
+44(0)7765-614-383

Silver Spring Networks
Paul Young, Senior Account Manager
+44(0)7585-301-459

SOURCE Cable&Wireless Worldwide