BT and partners to bid for UK’s smart energy meter project

British Telecom (BT) yesterday announced that it plans to bid for the UK smart energy meter project through a partnership with Arqiva and Detica in order to get a slice of the multi-billion pound smart energy meter market in the country.

BT will join forces with broadcasting firm Arqiva and Detica, a unit of BAE System to offer a dedicated and secure long range radio communications solution for the UK government's proposed smart metering plan.

The multi-billion pound smart metering plan is to cover 28 million homes and small business properties by 2020 or sooner, and is designed to reduce energy costs and lower UK's carbon dioxide emissions by 2.6 million tonnes per year when the rollout is complete.

BT and its partners will be competing with mobile firms such as Vodafone and Orange, which are also planning to bid for the project that is estimated to be worth more than £7 billion.

Smart meters will allow commercial and residential customers to monitor the gas and electricity being delivered to their properties. The UK government believes that smart meters will play an important role in improving energy efficiency, reducing consumption and helping to meet national and international environmental targets.

Smart meters will also help utility companies improve the efficiency and control of their networks, as well as provide the ability to offer tailored pricing packages based on customer usage patterns.