Smart metering is the use case that most directly defines the commercial rationale for eRedCap. The global installed base of cellular-connected smart meters – gas, electricity, and water – runs to hundreds of millions of devices, a significant fraction of which currently use LTE Cat-1 or Cat-1bis connectivity.
Why eRedCap Suits Smart Metering
Smart meters have simple, well-defined connectivity requirements: periodic data uploads (typically every 30 minutes to several hours), occasional firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updates requiring moderate throughput, and remote configuration capability. The ~10 Mbps peak downlink of eRedCap is more than adequate for all of these. The single-antenna design keeps module costs close to current Cat-1bis levels. Power saving features (PSM and eDRX in RRC_INACTIVE) are directly applicable to battery-assisted gas meter designs.
The 4G Sunset Timeline
UK smart meters deployed in the current rollout programme typically carry service life targets extending to 2035-2040. Many use 2G or 3G connectivity (already being decommissioned) or 4G LTE. The 4G wind-down, while not imminent, is the medium-term pressure driving interest in 5G-ready meter designs.
A smart meter specified with eRedCap connectivity today is designed against a 5G NR network with a standard roadmap through at least the 2040s. An equivalent device specified with Cat-1bis is designed against an LTE network with a less certain long-term timeline.
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
eRedCap’s 5G Core access enables network slicing for AMI backhaul – a dedicated slice with assured capacity and priority for critical meter communications, isolated from consumer mobile traffic. This capability is not available on 4G LTE and is directly relevant to regulated utility operators needing assured service levels for their AMI networks.