Deployment of power line communication by European utilities in advanced metering infrastructure

In this paper we analyze the current deployment of the smart metering by the utilities across the European continent, which is dictated by the EU Directives (2009/72/EC and 2009/73/EC). First we discuss the rollout of smart metering in Europe and the initial finding about the deployed communication technologies. In a second phase, we focus on the position of the Power Line Communication (PLC) in the strategy of power utilities.