Battle to connect wireless energy meters

A battle is heating up between leading telecoms companies for contracts to provide connections to Britain's next generation of energy meters. BT, Vodafone and Telefónica are expected to go head-to-head for contracts to provide wireless networks for "smart meters" that could play a significant role in cutting the UK's carbon emissions.

A consortium involving BT will make its pitch on Monday to provide a nationwide solution to the challenge of connecting consumers' smart meters to their energy suppliers. BT said if the consortium was successful at winning contracts with the utility companies, the deals could be worth hundreds of millions of pounds over the coming decade. The government has inherited a target from the previous administration of installing 47 million smart meters in 26 million homes by 2020.