Utility meter for metering a utility consumption and optimizing upstream communications and method for managing these communications

A method for exchanging encrypted messages between a device configured to collect device data, and a plurality of remote utility management centers configured to process the device data, the encrypted messages including downstream messages received from the plurality of remote utility management centers and upstream messages transmitted to the plurality of remote utility management centers, the method comprising:

• encrypting the device data with a payload key;
• generating a payload message comprising the encrypted device data;
• transmitting the payload message to the plurality of the remote utility management centers;
• encrypting the payload key with a first key specific to a single one of the plurality of remote utility management centers;
• generating a control message comprising the encrypted payload key;
• and
• transmitting the control message to the single one of the plurality of remote utility management centers.

A device comprising:

• circuitry configured to
• collect device data, and
• exchange encrypted messages with a plurality of remote utility management centers, the encrypted messages including downstream messages received from the plurality of remote utility management centers and upstream messages transmitted to plurality of the remote utility management centers, wherein
• the circuitry is further configured to
• encrypt the device data with a payload key,
• generate a payload message comprising the encrypted device data,
• transmit the payload message to the plurality of the remote utility management centers,
• encrypt the payload key with a first key specific to a single one of the plurality of remote utility management centers,
• generate a control message comprising the encrypted payload key, and
• transmit the control message to the single one of the plurality of remote utility management centers.