We are in the midst of a smart-metering revolution. Over the next five years, the global smart-meter market is expected to grow tremendously. Smart metering has advantages for the utility provider and for the user. For the provider, it eliminates the resources required for an operator to make monthly visits to each meter location. The provider can remotely control the water/gas supply.
More importantly, the remotely collected data can be aggregated and analyzed in real time, which may help spot leakages, detect tampering, and provide other useful data analytics to reduce opex. The consumer will also have electronic access to his or her consumption data, leading to better resource management. Smart meters, in particular water and gas meters (Fig. 1), use wireless connectivity and are poised to move from wireless M-BUS or proprietary standards to 4G and 5G.