Revenue Forecast 

The revenue estimate for the base year is $1,371.9, with a CAGR of 7.4% for the study period from 2020–2030

The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the Smart Water Metering Solutions Industry

Transformative Megatrends

Why: 

• Europe has been facing unprecedented droughts and heat waves that have led to water stress. This has prompted action among European countries to improve water conservation measures.
• As part of its strategy to improve resilience to climate change and ensure infrastructure sustainability, Europe is investing heavily in the digital transformation of water infrastructure.

Frost Perspective: 

• Over the next 10 years, EU funds and dedicated national-level funds will act as key investments in implementing smart water meters and digitalizing water infrastructure.
• With funding in place, water utilities are exploring various solutions to improve overall outcomes.
• Unit shipment will grow from 9.2 million in 2023 to 12.7 million in 2030, with the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and France being the major adopters

Disruptive Technologies

Why: 

• Kamstrup has pioneered the development and commercialization of smart water meters embedded with acoustic sensors, which detect water leaks and reduce water losses.
• In addition, multi-protocol connectivity and gateway solutions will increase the adoption of automated metering infrastructure (AMI)-based smart metering solutions while being cost-effective.

Frost Perspective: 

• Smart water meters embedded with acoustic sensors will reduce water losses both on the custody side and the service line. This capability is highly disruptive as the meter includes proactive action.
• Multi-protocol connectivity leverages existing automation solutions and enables the integration of other disparate data sources for holistic network visualization.

Competition Intensity

Why: 

• Telecom companies, such as Vodafone, T Mobile, and Orange, act as system integrators of smart water metering solutions, embedding their cellular low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) solutions at their core.
• The strong demand for static water meters has led to multiple new entrants offering these meters.

Frost Perspective: 

• Vodafone has emerged as a prominent smart water metering solutions provider in Spain, mainly by influencing the adoption of narrowband-internet of things (NB-IoT) for AMI connectivity and delivering smart water meter projects through strategic partnerships. This has challenged water meter OEMs' dominance in offering end-to-end solutions.
• Demand for static water meters will rise continually, and with a large number of water meter OEMs offering static water meters, pricing could become a key differentiator for well-established participants.

Scope of Analysis

• Unprecedented drought and heat waves have caused water stress in Europe, leading to strong demand for smart water metering solutions that are being perceived as key tools to reduce water losses. The United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and France are key hotspots in Europe as their strong policy drivers support the adoption of smart water metering.
• A unit represents a water meter fitted with a smart communication module, which could be an automated meter reading (AMR) or an AMI-based module.
• This study focuses on the unit shipment forecast for smart water meters and the revenues associated with smart water metering value chain segments in Europe, which include smart water meters, network solutions, meter data management (MDM) and customer information system (CIS) billing, customer engagement portals (CEPs) and data analytics, and design and engineering (D&E) and project management.
• The countries covered are the United Kingdom, Poland, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany, which represent more than 70% of the industry in terms of unit shipment and revenue, as well as the Rest of Europe (RoE), which represents the remaining 30%. The study only covers the residential smart water meters used by water utilities.

Segmentation

Smart Water Metering Value Chain Segments

• Smart Water Meters A smart water meter can be either mechanical or static (ultrasonic or electromagnetic) and fitted with a communication module that transmits data through an LPWAN. It could be one-way communication, such as AMR, or bidirectional communication, such as AMI.
• Network Solutions Network solutions include hardware, such as collectors, gateways, and base stations (in case of private networks) that enable data transmission from the meter to a head-end system (HES), network connectivity solutions, and services associated with the operation and maintenance of network connectivity (typically an LPWAN or radio frequency [RF] mesh).
• MDM & CIS Billing
  • MDM MDM is a software solution that helps utilities manage and sort data collected from the HES. This data is used for billing (meter to cash), meter and network asset management, alert and alarm management, and other activities. MDM also consists of APIs for the seamless transmission of meter data to a third-party application.
  • CIS Billing CIS billing software helps utilities generate accurate bills and organize customer data for efficient customer service.
• CEP & Data Analytics CEP platforms and solutions enable utilities to help their customers visualize near-real-time consumption data, track and analyze consumption patterns, and engage in campaigns that can help communicate key messages, such as tips for water conservation and other important alerts. The services assist utilities to monitor and detect leaks, assist in asset management, and improve operational efficiency.
• Design & Engineering & Project Management Consultants or system integrators offer smart water metering project management solutions that typically involve assisting water utility customers in the design, implementation, and execution of a smart water metering project. Project management could also include advisory services that assists utilities in implementing smart water metering solutions. In some cases, this could be only end-to-end implementation and execution of smart water metering projects.