Smart Meter Rollouts from Water Utilities Gain Momentum as Total Installed Smart Meters Swarm to Reach 1.1 Billion Units by 2021

image
08 Dec 2015

In its latest study on smart metering, ABI Research, a leader in technology market intelligence, estimates that smart meter rollouts, led by energy and water utilities, will result in a global installed base of more than 1.1 billion smart meters within the next five years. Smart electricity meters will constitute the largest share, occupying more than 72% of the overall installed base of smart meters, but research suggests water meters are on track to witness the most overall growth.

Read ABI Research’s Utilities and Smart Grids report.

“The global smart meter market for electricity and gas is reaching a degree of maturity, as utilities in most regions are either in advanced stages of rollouts or have laid out plans for phased deployment,” says Adarsh Krishnan, Senior Analyst at ABI Research. “The focus is starting to shift toward modernizing the aging water distribution network, offering substantial market opportunity for OEMs, utilities and end-users."  

Itron, Landis+Gyr, Kamstrup, Diehl, Sensus and ARAD, among others, offer end-to-end solutions and continue to dominate the vendor landscape. Data findings suggest, however, that there is growing concern among water utilities, especially those in cities, as they attempt to efficiently manage limited fresh water resources while keeping up with the increasing demand due to rapid urbanization.

“Smart water meters and data analytics are more critical components for water utilities,” continues Krishnan. “They can help improve distribution efficiency by reducing leakages and also serve to implement and monitor the effectiveness of water conservation programs. The lack of regulatory framework or a government mandate in the water sector has resulted in a lack of shared vision to modernize the water network.”

As smart water meters are battery powered devices, choosing the right connectivity solution poses another unique challenge. Long battery life of more than 10 years and signal propagation to reach meters that are often underground in pavements or driveways are critical to connect meters.

Wireless mesh networking and Low Power-WAN (LPWAN) technologies are popular connectivity technology choices for smart water meters, with the latter gaining momentum. Cellular and non-cellular LPWAN technologies that operate in either the licensed or un-licensed portions of the spectrum band, such as LTE-M, NB-LTE, Sigfox, LoRa, Ingenu and FlexNet, are strong contenders to meet the connectivity requirements for smart water meters. According to ABI Research, the number of wireless WAN connections will surpass wireless mesh connections in smart meters by 2021 by as much as 5%.

These findings are part of ABI Research’s M2M and IoT Modules and Devices Service, which includes research reports, market data, insights and competitive assessments.

About ABI Research

For more than 25 years, ABI Research has stood at the forefront of technology market intelligence, partnering with innovative business leaders to implement informed, transformative technology decisions. The company employs a global team of senior analysts to provide comprehensive research and consulting services through deep quantitative forecasts, qualitative analyses and teardown services. An industry pioneer, ABI Research is proactive in its approach, frequently uncovering ground-breaking business cycles ahead of the curve and publishing research 18 to 36 months in advance of other organizations. In all, the company covers more than 60 services, spanning 11 technology sectors. For more information, visit www.abiresearch.com.

About ABI Research

ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology solution providers and end-market companies. We serve as the bridge that seamlessly connects these two segments by providing exclusive research and expert guidance to drive successful technology implementations and deliver strategies proven to attract and retain customers.

ABI Research 是一家全球性的技术情报公司,拥有得天独厚的优势,充当终端市场公司和技术解决方案提供商之间的桥梁,通过提供独家研究和专业性指导,推动成功的技术实施和提供经证明可吸引和留住客户的战略,无缝连接这两大主体。

For more information about ABI Research’s services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific, or visit www.abiresearch.com.

Contact ABI Research

Media Contacts

Americas: +1.516.624.2542
Europe: +44.(0).203.326.0142
Asia: +65 6950.5670

Related Service