The century-old water metering market is at an inflection point, as a host of new digitally enabled technologies and business models (e.g., static meters, LPWAN communications protocols, network-as-a-service) transform global water utilities’ relationships with their meters and meter providers. Long considered the cash registers of the water industry, metering systems have become a central focus of utilities’ digital transformation efforts, providing utility operators with crucial data and insights to help them address water scarcity and climate change, monitor the condition and performance of underground infrastructure, and proactively manage customer relationships.

Against this backdrop, metering vendors face a host of macroeconomic, regulatory, and competitive shifts. COVID-19-related supply chain disruptions and component shortages have roiled the sector, delaying projects and new product development even as post-pandemic stimulus funding drives record levels of meter market demand. Meter market incumbents are seeing increased competition from a growing roster of agile newcomers as well as outsiders looking in, such as telecom firms, big tech players, and professional services companies.

This Insight Report provides an in-depth analysis of the global water metering market, including technology shifts, competitive dynamics, and market outlook. The report highlights emerging trends across the metering hardware, software, connectivity, and services landscape and evaluates the strategic positioning of 20 top meter firms serving diverse global markets, as well as the broader ecosystem of metering software and services firms.

Bluefield’s forecast offers a nuanced view of the current state and future trajectory of the water metering market, based on hundreds of bottom-up qualitative and quantitative inputs.