Europe’s Smart Metering Map Is Shifting East

Central and Eastern Europe are set to dominate smart meter shipments, claiming over half the market by 2029 as the region’s digital grid expands

16 Apr 2026

Central and Eastern Europe are poised to become the primary drivers of smart meter adoption in the European Union, signaling a significant geographic shift in the continent’s digital infrastructure. According to data from Berg Insight, Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe are forecast to account for 52 percent of all smart meter shipments across the EU27+3 region by 2029. This represents a substantial increase from the 28 percent share recorded in 2023.

For over a decade, the European market was defined by early adopters such as Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. These nations, having largely completed their first or second-generation rollouts, are now entering a phase of market consolidation. In their place, a new tier of nations including Poland, Greece, and Hungary is moving large-scale programs from the planning stages into active installation. Analysts noted that these efforts are frequently bolstered by European Union structural funds and aggressive national targets for utility modernization.

The transition is particularly concentrated in specific growth corridors. Nine of the ten fastest-growing smart meter markets in Europe by annual shipment volume are now located in the CEE and Southeast European regions. Poland, in particular, is expected to maintain a dominant share of regional shipments. Furthermore, Germany and Greece are anticipated to contribute significant first-generation volumes starting in 2025, providing additional momentum to the regional expansion.

This geographic migration coincides with a fundamental change in the underlying technology. While earlier Western European deployments often relied on wired Power Line Communication infrastructure, the current wave favors wireless standards. Industry projections suggest that NB-IoT and LTE-M cellular technologies will account for nearly two-thirds of annual European smart meter shipments by the end of the decade. These tools are designed to reduce deployment costs and facilitate the real-time data flows necessary for modern grid management.

The digital overhaul extends to water utilities, where penetration in Europe remains relatively low at 16 percent. Experts suggest that as Eastern European utilities modernize aging networks, the number of advanced metering endpoints in Europe and North America could double by 2030. This structural shift in utility management remains central to the region’s broader energy and resource efficiency goals, shaping infrastructure policy for years to come.