Worldwide smart meter shipments projected to hit 130 million by 2016

Dive Summary:

Marketing and consulting firm IDC Energy Insights has assessed that global smart meter shipments are up 51.3% over last year and will exceed 130 million units by 2016.
Although the U.S. market has slowed, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America have become growing centers for smart meter purchasing.
Numerous European states are currently testing advanced metering technology and pushing ahead with regulatory frameworks for national projects expected to be completed by 2020.

From the press release:

IDC Energy Insights yesterday released the results of the Worldwide Quarterly Smart Meter Tracker. Global smart meter shipments in the second quarter of 2012 (2Q12) grew 33.6% over the previous quarter, and were up nearly 51.3% year over year. By the end of 2016, IDC expects worldwide annual meter shipments to surpass 130 million units.

While smart metering continues to supplant earlier generations of analog and AMR technologies, shipments are showing different growth patterns across various geographies. The U.S. market continues to recede from the ARRA peak and momentum in the smart metering market is now shifting to Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. ...