Europe’s smart meter market is moving from mass rollout to replacement. By the end of 2025, about 209 million smart electricity meters were installed in the EU27+3 area, and nearly two-thirds of European households now have smart meters.
That next phase is not uniform. Italy has nearly 37 million smart meter units installed, France has around 35 million, and Germany still has only a partial rollout, often limited to large electricity consumers.
Deployment is still split by national policy
EU directive 2009/72/EC requires a cost-benefit analysis before any smart meter deployment. Portugal and the Czech Republic reportedly abandoned deployment because of those impact assessments, while Spain and Poland are still in the installation phase and are aiming for mass deployment by 2030.
France uses G3 power-line carrier technology to transmit smart meter data. Poland favors newer solutions linked to cellular networks for smart meter communication, which shows how far the region has moved away from a single technical template.
Replacement is now part of the business case
Berg Insight projects that nearly 35% of smart meter installations through 2031 will be second-generation meters. The analysis estimates that LPWA technologies such as LTE-M and NB-IoT will account for more than half of expected deployments during 2025-2031.
Spain and the Netherlands have programs to modernize communication platforms by combining PLC networks with LPWA wireless technologies. Italy and Spain are expected to keep relying on PLC solutions while introducing hybrid approaches.
Gas metering is following the same path
In 2025, Europe had about 59 million smart gas meters, with a target of 79 million by 2031. Smart gas meter penetration has reached 48% of households.
France’s Gazpar meter is one example of radio-based smart gas meter deployment. Smart meters and multi-energy platforms are being generalized as long-term systems that manage consumption data securely.
What this means for utilities and IoT suppliers
Industrial and professional users gain finer-grained data that is needed to optimize energy management and adapt to new market models. Smart grids use detailed meter data to balance production and consumption, and that optimization relies on predictive analytics and real-time energy flow management.
European utilities must increasingly address cybersecurity and privacy requirements. Consumer personal data is governed by strict regulations such as the GDPR, which requires exchanges and platforms to be secured.