Berg Insight, an IoT analyst firm, indicates a significant surge in the installed base of water utility AMI endpoints across Europe and North America.
The report on the installed base of water utility AMI endpoints across Europe and North America projects a substantial increase, more than doubling the existing numbers between 2022 and 2028.
As of the end of 2022, the combined installed base of AMI endpoints in both regions stood at a substantial 55.8 million units. However, projections suggest a staggering growth at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.0 percent, foreseeing an escalation to 116.4 million by 2028.
The total number of communicating utility water meters, encompassing both AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) and AMR (Automatic Meter Reading), is anticipated to witness a proportional rise, escalating from 155.1 million units in 2022 to 206.0 million units by 2028.
Mattias Carlsson, IoT Analyst at Berg Insight, highlighted the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the growth of remote water meter reading technologies, attributing delays in projects to supply chain disruptions. However, he expressed optimism, citing ongoing enhancements in supply chains and significant commitments from utilities to implement smart metering technologies as promising signs for the future of the smart water metering market.
In terms of connectivity, the report outlines that LoRaWAN and 3GPP-based LPWA technologies, including NB-IoT and LTE-M, are emerging as the fastest-growing options for new water AMI deployments in Europe and North America.
Spain leads the charge in Europe for 3GPP-based LPWA communications, particularly with NB-IoT, while interest in these technologies is also robust in the UK, Italy, and the Baltics. Meanwhile, in North America, LTE-M stands out as the fastest-growing technology, with LoRaWAN recently gaining traction after years in the market.
Carlsson emphasized the dominance of proprietary and EN 13757-based RF communications technologies in both regions but noted the rapid growth and potential dominance of alternatives like LoRaWAN and cellular communications in the coming years.
At the end of 2022, key players with the largest installed bases of water AMI endpoints in Europe included Diehl Metering, Itron, Birdz (Veolia), Sensus (Xylem), and Kamstrup.
In North America, the top five comprised Sensus, Badger Meter, Itron, Aclara (Hubbell), and Neptune Technology Group.
Additionally, other prominent vendors such as the Minol-ZENNER Group, Honeywell, the Arad Group, Mueller Systems, Landis+Gyr, Apator, and Maddalena hold significant positions in either of the regions. SUEZ Smart Solutions, a subsidiary of SUEZ, has emerged as a key player in the European water AMI market, contributing significantly to the development and deployment of Wize technology.