Two-way communications systems in the electricity supply industry

Seven years have passed since the introduction of the liberalisation of the electricity supply industry (ESI) in the UK. Many diverse benefits and applications have been suggested which depend upon efficient bidirectional communications between the utility and its customer base. These applications have included automatic meter reading, distribution automation, load management, remote meter calibration, tokenless prepayment and remote tariff management. However the ongoing development of competition in the ESI in the UK may slow implementation, or even prevent these communications becoming a reality.