The Impact on Smart Meters and the Path Ahead

UK 2G Switch-Off: The Impact on Smart Meters and the Path Ahead

The UK’s 2G switch-off in 2033 means millions of smart meters must be upgraded or replaced. This massive task requires revisiting every SMETS1 installation and many SMETS2 meters, posing a significant challenge for energy suppliers.

In 2033 the UK mobile network will switch off 2G functionality. Whilst this will mean a significant communications performance upgrade for many devices, it means that smart meters in the UK require physical changes to carry on communicating with the smart network. SMETS1 devices will need to be removed and replaced and SMETS2 devices in the central and southern regions of the UK will need to have their communications hub replaced with one compatible with 4G. SMETS2 meters in the North currently use a different type of communication, not dependent on the mobile network.

Whilst 2033 seems a long way away, the magnitude of this task should not be underestimated. This will mean that every smart installation in the central and south region will need to be revisited, and every SMETS1 installation in the North as well. It has been eleven years since the first smart meters started going on the wall in the UK, and to hit the 2033 deadline, UK energy suppliers need to do it all again in eight years.

Centrica Smart Meter Assets (CSMA), as a new entrant into the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) Market, does not hold any SMETS1 devices in its portfolio, and because of this does not hold the risk of these devices needing to be removed. Whilst other MAPs will see a period of slower portfolio growth caused by the removal of SMETS1 devices offsetting the new SMETS2 installs they complete, CSMA will continue to grow its portfolio at the incredible pace it is already achieving.