Water AMI endpoints in Europe and US to double by 2030 finds Berg Insight

According to a new research report from the IoT analyst firm Berg Insight, the installed base of water utility AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) endpoints in Europe and North America is set to double during the period 2024–2030.

The company states in their report, Smart Water Metering in Europe and North America, that at the end of 2024, the combined installed base of AMI endpoints in Europe and North America amounted to 66.0 million units. This number is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.3% to reach 139.5 million in 2030.

The total number of communicating utility water meters – including both AMI and AMR (advanced meter reading) – will at the same time grow from 170.5 million units in 2024 to 224.6 million units in 2030.

AMR includes metering points that require readings through drive-by or walk-by operations while AMI involves a fixed network communications infrastructure and supports true IoT connectivity.

Commenting in a release was William Ankréus, IoT analyst Berg Insight: “The market is experiencing a return to stable supply chains following the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, alongside significant commitment from water utilities to implement smart metering technologies. Adoption is gaining significant momentum in key markets, driven by national funding initiatives and pressure from regulatory bodies.”

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According to Berg Insight’s report, in terms of AMI connectivity, LoRaWAN and 3GPP-based LPWA technologies such as NB-IoT and LTE-M continue to be the fastest growing technology types for new water AMI deployments in Europe and North America.

In Europe, Spain has emerged as the leading European adopter of 3GPP-based LPWA communications for water AMI with several major utilities in the country launching large-scale rollouts based on NB-IoT.

The interest in 3GPP-based LPWA is also particularly strong in markets such as the UK, Italy and the Baltics while demand for LoRaWAN has so far been more widespread across the entire European region.

In North America, LTE-M currently constitutes the single fastest growing technology for new water AMI deployments.

Said Ankréus: “Proprietary and EN 13757-based RF communications technologies currently have a strong footprint in both the European and North American markets. These technologies are anticipated to remain pivotal connectivity options for water AMI projects in the foreseeable future.

“Nevertheless, LoRaWAN and cellular communications are rapidly growing and are poised to capture a larger share of AMI shipments in the years ahead. This shift has created significant opportunities for MNOs and LoRaWAN network operators, which have increasingly taken on the role as prime contractors for meter replacement projects, particularly in Europe.”

At the end of 2024, the companies that had accumulated the largest installed bases of water AMI endpoints in Europe included Diehl Metering, Itron, Sensus (Xylem), Birdz (Veolia) and Kamstrup.

The top five in North America were Sensus, Badger Meter, Itron, Aclara (Hubbell) and Neptune Technology Group. Top vendors in the two regions include Honeywell, the Arad Group, the Minol-ZENNER Group, Mueller Systems, Apator, Maddalena, Sagemcom, Landis+Gyr and Axioma Metering.

The SUEZ subsidiary SUEZ Smart Solutions also constitutes a key player in the European water AMI market, having been instrumental in the development and deployment of Wize technology.