FAQs Page

Frequently Asked Questions

  • When does a company need to have a valid STS license?Open or Close

    If your company wants to use STS technology in products it must be a paid up licensee or member of the association. Your company will need to pay an annual subscription fee to the association to retain the right to use the technology.

  • How can I obtain the "STS 501-3-2"?Open or Close

    CTS 501-3-2 is the same test as CTS 501-3-1 except that the keypad token will be produced. Please use CTS 501-3-1 but replace all references to magnetic tokens to be produced with keypad tokens. If you pass CTS 501-2-2 it is almost 100% guaranteed that you will pass CTS 501-3-2.

  • How do I obtain a supply group code?Open or Close

    Refer to the attached directive on the issue of supply group codes. Submit an application to the KMC in terms of the details supplied on the STS association website.

  • Are the encryption tables supplied to a member?Open or Close

    es, the encoded tables that are submitted to the company are the final tables, and the same tables must be used to encrypt the sample meters to be submitted for compliance testing.

  • How do I acquire a ‘secure module’?Open or Close

    The STSA have commissioned a secure module manufacturer in South Africa who have been certificated to supply secure modules to bona fide STS members. These modules can be purchased and initialised before delivery from Prism Payment Technologies. You may correspond with Shawn O’Neal at Prism to establish exactly which product is best for your application.

     

    Shawn O’Neal - shawno@net1.com or sales@net1.com


    The application form to purchase an initialized and encoded secure module can be located on the STS web site under at 'Secure Modules' complete the non disclosure agreement and the encoding form.

  • Is the meter number different from the security key in the meter? If so, who assigns the security key? Is it assigned by the meter manufacturer or the electricity utility?sOpen or Close

    The meter number is generated and assigned to a meter by the meter manufacturer in terms of IEC 62055-41. Please note that the NRS - 009-6-7 standard is redundant, and has been withdrawn by NRS/SABS. It has subsequently been superseded by IEC 62055-41.
    Hence, for implementation purposes, a detailed explanation should be sought in IEC 62055-41.
    The meter key is generated at the time of meter manufacture in a secure process inside a Key Load Module, based on Supply Group keys which are generated and loaded by the Key Management Centre (KMC). Depending on the utility's preference, the initial meter key may either be aligned to the Supply Group Code allocated to the utility, or it may be aligned to the manufacturer's default key, in which case it would be changed, at the time of commissioning the meter, to the required Supply Group key.