Europe’s smart meter upgrades face a data blind spot

European governments are committing billions to next-generation smart meter networks without the consistent cost and risk data needed to compare options, according to a Wirepas analysis released Nov. 4. The findings come as the EU pushes toward a far more electrified grid by 2040, raising the stakes for connectivity decisions that could last 15 years or more.

Why it matters: - European countries are making billion-euro smart meter connectivity decisions with incomplete information. - Those choices will shape grid communications for 15 years or more. - Missing cost and risk data could lock governments into networks that are harder and more expensive to replace later. - The gap matters more as electrification grows and utilities prepare for network switch-offs.

What happened: - Wirepas, a Finnish wireless networking company, analyzed publicly available and official data on smart meter connectivity across Europe. - The study looked at which technologies each country uses, what those technologies cost over their lifetime and how exposed they are to switch-off. - Wirepas rated each market’s connectivity on a scale from strong to challenged. - The company released the analysis in Berlin on Nov. 4, 2026. - The European Commission is pushing for electricity to account for 46% of the bloc’s final energy consumption by 2040. - That target is expected to require about €1.2 trillion of grid investment.

The details: - No single data source provides a full Europe-wide comparison of smart meter connectivity. - Data access and publication levels vary by country. - Some countries can see costs but not risks. - Some can track rollout figures but not the technologies behind them. - Some can see one connection type but not the rest. - Wirepas chief executive Teppo Hemiä said Europe tracks how many smart meters are installed, but not the connectivity behind them. - Hemiä said policymakers are being asked to make decades-long, billion-euro investment decisions without complete and robust data. - Hemiä said incomplete visibility raises the risk of locking in a connectivity layer that cannot keep up with future grid demand. - In Germany, regulated charges for sending meter data can reach €140 a year. - German utilities can see only their own gateways and contracts. - Operators hold the full view of network timelines. - Germany lacks a shared view of how many gateways depend on which networks or what replacement will cost when networks are switched off. - In Poland, officials can see how many meters are exposed to upcoming 2G and 3G shutdowns. - Poland cannot plan closure timing because mobile operators control those schedules. - Poland also lacks a national view of replacement program costs. - France knows how many meters it has and how many data concentrators are needed to cover them. - France does not have a shared view of the 15-year or longer cost of keeping those meters connected. - France also lacks a clear view of how that cost changes as EVs, solar and heat pumps add more data to the network. - Great Britain has counted 12 million to 13 million communications hubs exposed to the 2033 shutdown of 2G and 3G networks. - Great Britain lacks full visibility into the cost of replacing those hubs. - Great Britain also lacks visibility into replacing new 4G hubs when that network is later switched off. - Spain knows how its meters connect and who runs the concentrators. - Spain does not have a shared view of lifetime cost per meter or a comparison with alternative options. - Wirepas said the findings are part of a wider smart meter connectivity analysis due to be published shortly. - Wirepas said the study is based on publicly available and official information. - Wirepas said the analysis also examined exposure to connectivity switch-off.

Between the lines: - The core problem is not a lack of rollout activity. - The problem is fragmented visibility into the full economics and failure risks of each connectivity model. - That leaves national governments dependent on partial data from utilities, operators and third parties. - The result is a policy process that looks informed on the surface but lacks a common European evidence base.

What’s next: - Wirepas plans to publish a broader analysis of Europe’s smart meter connectivity shortly. - Governments are likely to face more pressure to compare networks on lifetime cost, resilience and switch-off risk before committing to replacements. - The EU’s 2040 electrification push will keep smart meter connectivity high on the policy agenda.

The bottom line: - Europe is funding the next generation of smart meter networks without a clear continent-wide map of what those choices will cost or how they will hold up over time. - That makes today’s connectivity bets riskier just as grid demands are rising.