BT (NYSE: BT) is taking charge of the UK government's smart meter mandate by securing an agreement to provide wireline Internet connectivity for 10,000 smart energy meters for IMServ, an energy management company.
BT's Redcare division, which has a network specially designed for security alarms and closed circuit television (CCTV), will provide necessary connectivity.
Smart metering has been the talk of the town in the UK as the government set a lofty goal that 26 million homes will be connected to a smart meter by 2020. Although the government's goal could be a new opportunity for the ISPs that provide services over BT's last mile copper/fiber networks and enabling utilities to cut costs, an article in The Register questions what benefits the consumer will actually get out of the deal.
At this point, IMServ's deployment will likely not have much an effect on the consumer market since they are particularly focused on serving large businesses. However, BT or its wholesale ISP customers could work with local electric utilities to develop smart energy programs that help consumers manage their energy consumption through an online portal that would run over the broadband connection.
For more:
- The Register has this article
Related articles:
Utilities inject smarts into the electrical grid
BT raises bar for its FTTX plans
BT accelerates its Fiber to the X deployment timeline