The ZigBee Alliance, and the IPSO (Internet Protocol for Smart Objects) Alliance are to collaborate on wireless home area networks.
Using the ZigBee IP specification and the ZigBee Smart Energy v2.0 standard, they will expand the use of IP over home area networks (HANs) for smart grid applications.
IPSO members include Intel, Atmel, Bosch, Fujitsu and Ericsson.
The US Department of Energy and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are both interested in ZigBee Smart Energy as an interoperable standard for HAN devices.
"Working with the IPSO Alliance will speed our development work on ZigBee Smart Energy," said Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance. "By using IP technology, Smart Energy will give utilities more flexibility in future smart grid deployments."
IPSO joins four organisations already working with the ZigBee Alliance on smart metering and smart grid: DLMS, EPRI, ESMIG, and the HomePlug Powerline Alliance.
"We have been playing an active role in this space and our contributions to Smart Energy and the ZigBee IP specification will help speed adoption of the smart grid," said Geoff Mulligan, chairman of the IPSO Alliance.