BT Eyes Part Of UK's Smart Meter Project -Report

19th Jul 2010 02:47

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES BT Group PLC (BT) is drawing up plans to win the rights to provide a key component for the government's multi-billion pound plan to introduce smart meters, designed to cut carbon emissions and slash energy bills, across the country, The Independent reported Monday. The telecoms giant will announce Monday that it has teamed up with transmission group Arqiva and technology consultant Detica to create a communications network to run smart meters, which will be introduced to all British households by 2020, the newspaper said. It is expected to come up against fierce competition from the mobile phone network operators during the procurement process for a contract that is expected to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds, the newspaper said. The government plans to introduce smart meters in 28 million homes and small businesses by the end of the decade in an initiative that is expected to reduce the U.K.'s carbon emissions by 2.6 million tons per year, The Independent said. Newspaper Web site: http://independent.co.uk -Dow Jones Newswires; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 18, 2010 21:47 ET (01:47 GMT)