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PD IEC TS 62056 — Electricity Metering Data Exchange DLMS/COSEM Suite Technical Specification Series
Electricity Metering Data Exchange — The DLMS/COSEM Suite (UK adoption of IEC TS 62056)
📐 PD IEC TS 62056 is a series of Published Documents issued by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in the form of Technical Specifications (TS), corresponding to IEC/TS 62056 and forming an important part of the IEC 62056 DLMS/COSEM suite. The suite defines the object model, communication protocols and transport mechanisms for data exchange between smart meters and meter reading systems, and is key to interoperability in Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and smart grids. The series covers communication profile standard templates, mapping between the Common Information Model (CIM) and DLMS/COSEM data models and protocols, mesh communication profiles for neighbourhood networks, and additional communication means, providing the technical basis for metering integration, interoperability testing and data consistency.
💡 DLMS/COSEM (IEC 62056) is the internationally recognised suite for electricity metering data exchange: COSEM defines the data object model, DLMS defines the application-layer protocol, and specific communication profiles are given in the parts. This series specifies those profiles and mappings.
1. Series Overview 📌
The IEC/TS 62056 series was prepared within IEC TC 13 and related technical committees; UK participation was entrusted to Technical Committees PEL/57 (Power systems management and associated information exchange) and PEL/13 (Electricity Meters). A Technical Specification (TS) fixes technical content ahead of a full standard where further refinement is still needed. The parts specify the writing template for communication profile standards, the mapping between CIM and DLMS/COSEM data models, and mesh communication profiles for neighbourhood networks, supporting interoperability between metering equipment from different vendors and between different systems.
⚠️ This series is a Technical Specification; implementation details and product certification requirements may change as IEC full standards and industry specifications evolve. Apply the applicable version and product technical requirements when implementing.
2. Structure and Technical Highlights 🧩
The series mainly comprises the following parts, summarised by number, topic and core content.
| Standard | Topic | Core content |
|---|---|---|
| PD IEC/TS 62056-1-1:2016 | Template for DLMS/COSEM communication profile standards | Target communication environments, use of communication layers, physical/MAC layers, service mapping and adaptation layers, registration and connection management, identification and addressing schemes |
| PD IEC/TS 62056-6-9:2016 | Mapping between CIM (IEC 61968-9) message profiles and DLMS/COSEM (IEC 62056) data models and protocols | Reference architecture, reference use cases (scheduled reading, on-demand reading, remote tariff configuration, remote disconnect/reconnect, load management), mapping methods |
| PD IEC/TS 62056-8-20:2016 | Mesh communication profile for neighbourhood networks | Mesh communication environments, structure of the profile, physical/MAC layers, network and transport layers, service mapping and adaptation |
| PD IEC/TS 62056-9-1:2016 | Additional communication means (scanned) | DLMS/COSEM communication profile for additional transports such as Web services |
⚠️ In this batch PD IEC/TS 62056-9-1 is a scanned version; its content is written from public-domain knowledge. For detailed clauses, refer to the official BSI publication.
3. Key Technical Requirements 🔥
3.1 Communication profile standard template (Part 1-1)
The DLMS/COSEM suite defines several communication profiles by physical medium (direct local connection, power line carrier, radio, IP, etc.). To avoid inconsistent structure among profiles, Part 1-1 provides a uniform template for writing DLMS/COSEM communication profile standards, specifying the description of target communication environments, use of communication layers, physical and MAC layer requirements, service mapping and adaptation layers, registration and connection management, and identification and addressing schemes, so that all profiles share a consistent structure and coordinated semantics.
3.2 Mapping between CIM and DLMS/COSEM (Part 6-9)
In the integration of Distribution Management Systems (DMS) and AMI, CIM (IEC 61968-9) message profiles and DLMS/COSEM data models must interoperate. The part provides a reference architecture and generic reference use cases (scheduled meter reading, reading on demand, remote tariff configuration, remote disconnect/reconnect, load management), and specifies mapping methods at both data-model and protocol level, so upper business systems and metering devices exchange consistent data.
3.3 Mesh communication profile for neighbourhood networks (Part 8-20)
Neighbourhood Area Networks (NAN) for districts and buildings often use mesh topology to improve reliability and coverage. The part specifies mesh communication environments, the structure of the profile, physical and MAC layers, network and transport layers, and service mapping and adaptation, enabling metering devices to self-organise and reliably deliver data to the concentrator/data centre through relays.
✅ Practice note: Interoperability hinges on “consistent object model + correct protocol mapping”. When implementing, keep profile structure uniform per Part 1-1, keep data consistent with CIM systems per Part 6-9, and verify mesh reliability and scalability per Part 8-20.
4. Engineering Practice 🛠️
- 🔍 Device selection: choose the DLMS/COSEM communication profile for the target environment (local, carrier, radio, IP or mesh) and verify the profile version supported by the device.
- 📊 System integration: connect metering data into DMS/AMI through CIM-DLMS/COSEM mapping to keep measurement, tariff and event data consistent.
- 📐 Interoperability testing: organise conformance and interoperability tests per the profile template to verify data exchange between different vendors’ devices.
- 📋 Mesh deployment: plan neighbourhood network topology and relay strategy, evaluating communication reliability, latency and scalability.
5. FAQ ❓
Q1: What is the difference between DLMS and COSEM?
A: COSEM defines the metering data object model (data, registers, events, etc.), while DLMS defines the application-layer protocol and message format; together they form the IEC 62056 suite.
A: COSEM defines the metering data object model (data, registers, events, etc.), while DLMS defines the application-layer protocol and message format; together they form the IEC 62056 suite.
Q2: Why is a mapping between CIM and DLMS/COSEM needed?
A: DMS systems mostly use the CIM (IEC 61968) message model while metering devices use DLMS/COSEM; the mapping enables exchange of consistent data between them.
A: DMS systems mostly use the CIM (IEC 61968) message model while metering devices use DLMS/COSEM; the mapping enables exchange of consistent data between them.
Q3: Why do neighbourhood networks often use mesh topology?
A: Mesh networks are self-organising with multi-path relaying, offering wide coverage and high reliability, suitable for data backhaul between meters in districts and buildings.
A: Mesh networks are self-organising with multi-path relaying, offering wide coverage and high reliability, suitable for data backhaul between meters in districts and buildings.
Q4: What is the purpose of the communication profile template?
A: It unifies the structure and semantics of profile standards, avoiding “one style per profile”, and eases writing, review and testing.
A: It unifies the structure and semantics of profile standards, avoiding “one style per profile”, and eases writing, review and testing.
Q5: How does this series relate to BS EN 62056?
A: It is a Technical Specification complement within the IEC 62056 family, used alongside the main standard; within the UK the BSI-published PD IEC/TS 62056 version applies.
A: It is a Technical Specification complement within the IEC 62056 family, used alongside the main standard; within the UK the BSI-published PD IEC/TS 62056 version applies.