Why India's largest smart meter rollout may not be very smart

This technology may not be the most suited for India, which has poor mobile and data connectivity: Experts

Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL), a joint venture between several public-sector enterprises helmed by the ministry of power, invited bids to procure 5 million ‘smart’ meters to be deployed in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana in August 2017. However, in this first large-scale rollout of smart meters, EESL may not have chosen the smartest technology, IndiaSpend analysis shows.

Unlike traditional meters that only record energy consumption, a smart meter is capable of two-way communication to also send information back to the electricity provider. In choosing GPRS (General Packet Radio Service that most