Two-year extension for GB’s smart meter Data Communications Company licence

Capita, operator of Britain’s smart meter Data Communications Company (DCC), has secured a two-year extension to its licence.

The extension, with a total contract value of up to £135 million ($180.4 million), will see the DCC continue to operate the country’s smart meter communications platform until September 2027.

Smart DCC, a wholly owned but non-consolidated subsidiary within the Capita Public Service division, has been licensed by the government to build and manage the central network for smart metering across Britain since 2013.

It is operated by Capita under a licence regulated by Ofgem, and is responsible for operating the platform to which currently more than 32.3 million smart meters – including over 20.4 million second generation SMETS2 smart meters – are connected.

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Commenting, Richard Holroyd, CEO of Capita Public Service, said: “We will continue to leverage deep technical expertise and regulatory knowledge to deliver smooth migration to smart meters, helping UK consumers to become more energy aware as well as helping them manage their costs.”

Coincident with the licence renewal is a management change. At the end of August CEO Angus Flett stepped down after almost eight years in the role.

In his place Colin Sempill, former CEO of connectivity provider Neos Networks, has taken over as interim CEO.

Under Flett, a former Vodafone executive, the DCC’s network grew from go-live to become the largest single communications network in Britain, reaching 99.3% of homes and small businesses.

Current DCC statistics record almost 81.5 million connected devices with almost 2.3 billion messages sent monthly.

Further developments are under way. Some current programmes under way include ongoing improvements to supplier switching, the migration of the first generation SMETS1 meters and the dual band communication hub rollout particularly for apartment buildings where the meter is distant from the associated property.

With the sunsetting by the telecoms operators of the 2G and 3G networks, which currently support the smart meter network in the central and southern regions, preparations are in hand for a 4G communications hub. A pilot is due to start ahead a wider rollout from mid-2025.

A programme also is under way for the provision of cryptographic services to the smart metering infrastructure.