A report by Navigant Research said the Asian country ended March with a total of 496 million installed smart meters
China continues to lead the global smart meter market with 496 million meters installed at the end of the first quarter of 2018, according to a new report by Navigant Research.
The number of installed smart maters in China accounted for 68.4% of tracked installations globally, according to the report.
Navigant said that China is now moving toward second-generation smart metering, while high-volume deployments continue across Japan and South Korea. The report also highlighted that the emergence of large meter tenders in India is also helping to drive volumes in this key Asian market.
“As expected, China’s State Grid Corporation of China has nearly concluded its nationwide smart meter rollout in 2018 in the midst of Southern Power Grid’s push toward higher deployment levels,” said Michael Kelly, research analyst with Navigant Research. “Since the release of our previous report, the North American smart meter market has seen a handful of new project announcements. In Europe, large- and small-scale smart electric meter deployments have already been achieved, with activity remaining high as national rollouts continue.”
According to the report, in Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East & Africa, disparate small and mid-scale advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) deployments continue to propagate, while others face barriers to entry mainly due to financial constraints.
Suntront uses Semtech’s LoRa technology in smart meter project in China
In related news, Semtech, a supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms, announced that Suntront Technology, a Chinese smart meter solution company for heat, gas, water, and energy, has incorporated Semtech’s LoRa devices and wireless radio frequency technology into its smart gas and water meters.
“Our metering solutions provide the highest quality in water and gas management. Through usage of Semtech’s LoRa Technology, the data is shared through our cloud-based application which enables end-to-end hands-on management of utilities,” said Dong Yide, research and development director at Suntront.
Suntront’s smart gas and water metering solutions utilize LoRa Technology to remotely measure and adjust the levels of flow through piping by accessing a LoRaWAN network and transmitting data via third-party applications.
The company highlighted that a user management software service connects to Suntront solutions and provides the utility manager all necessary functions, including the ability to view usage trends and to monitor each meter remotely. Utility managers then use the data to program the LoRa-enabled devices to automatically shut off or change valves when certain thresholds are met, Semtech said.
“Suntront provides cities and public utility managers with a highly accurate and easily installed solution for utility management,” said Marc Pegulu, VP and general manager of Semtech’s wireless and sensing products group.
Semtech said that IoT networks based on the LoRaWAN specification have been deployed in over 100 countries
