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BT signs first smart meter deal
Everywhere by 2020
BT has joined the gathering feeding frenzy around smart metering of utilities with its first ever deal to provide the necessary internet connectivity, to a minimum of 10,000 meters.
The firm's BT Redcare division, which operates a network for security devices including alarms and CCTV, has signed a deal to connect up smart meters for IMServ, an energy management firm.
The government has said all 26 million UK households should have smart meters by 2020. The target means a potential bonanza for ISPs and savings and control for energy firms. The benefits to consumers given the proposed details of the scheme are less clear.
BT Redcare's suitably-named CEO Roger Vigilance said: "Our success was due to BT Redcare's private network capability, coupled with the operational flexibility to deliver effectively for the customer."
IMServ is mostly concerned with smart metering for large corporates such as Tesco, but for BT the deal could herald the opening of a large new market. ®
Biting the hand that feeds IT
