LoRaWAN Gains Ground in European Smart Metering as Utility Deployments Expand

More than 30 million smart meters now use LoRaWAN worldwide, while European public tenders referencing the technology have more than quadrupled since 2019, according to new figures presented by the LoRa Alliance.

Smart metering is becoming one of the clearest indicators of LoRaWAN’s ability to support large-scale IoT infrastructure. Unlike smaller sensor deployments, utility networks must operate reliably over long periods, accommodate millions of endpoints and support equipment from multiple suppliers. Connectivity decisions therefore have implications that extend well beyond initial installation costs.

New figures released by the LoRa Alliance at Enlit Europe 2026 suggest that LoRaWAN is gaining a stronger foothold in this demanding market. More than 30 million of the 150 million LoRaWAN devices connected worldwide are now meters, making utility metering responsible for over 20% of the technology’s installed base.

European Smart Metering Tenders Signal Growing LoRaWAN Adoption

One of the most significant findings concerns public procurement. According to Kurrant, a strategy and innovation firm tracking European tenders through its Tender Tracker platform, the number of EU-wide public tenders mentioning LoRaWAN more than quadrupled between 2019 and 2025.

The trend continued in 2025, with tender activity increasing approximately 13% compared with the previous year. Water metering accounts for around half of LoRaWAN-related tenders, followed by building energy metering, network infrastructure deployments and street lighting.

France leads European procurement activity referencing LoRaWAN, followed by Spain and Germany.

These figures provide an indication of growing market interest, although tenders mentioning a technology do not necessarily translate into awarded contracts or completed deployments. Nevertheless, the sustained increase suggests that LoRaWAN is becoming an established consideration in utility connectivity procurement rather than remaining confined to experimental projects.

Water utilities emerge as a major adoption driver

The water sector provides particularly compelling evidence of this transition.

Netmore, a LoRaWAN network operator and platform provider, examined publicly announced smart water metering decisions under AMP8, the regulatory investment cycle covering water companies in England and Wales from April 2025 to March 2030.

Its analysis found that LoRaWAN featured in 70% of the announced decisions, either as the sole connectivity technology or as the primary component of a dual-technology deployment.

The inclusion of dual-technology architectures is noteworthy. It indicates that utilities are not necessarily approaching connectivity as a choice between mutually exclusive technologies. Instead, LoRaWAN can serve as the principal communications layer while other technologies address specific deployment requirements.

This flexibility is particularly relevant to water metering, where endpoints may be installed underground, inside buildings or in other locations that complicate wireless coverage.

Deployments demonstrate multi-million-device scale

Beyond procurement activity, existing deployments provide further evidence of LoRaWAN’s growing maturity in utility applications.

ZENNER Connect reports 12 million devices connected to its network, while Veolia operates more than 4 million active smart meters across France. Itron has also deployed over 3 million LoRaWAN-connected assets, primarily smart water meters.

These figures illustrate the transition from isolated deployments to operational networks supporting millions of endpoints.

At this scale, connectivity performance is only part of the equation. Utilities and their technology partners must also consider device provisioning, network management, interoperability and long-term maintenance. Features such as firmware updates over the air, relay capabilities and roaming can therefore become important factors in evaluating network architectures.

Open standards influence long-term infrastructure decisions

A distinguishing characteristic of LoRaWAN is its open, multi-vendor ecosystem. The technology operates in unlicensed spectrum and is supported by publicly available specifications and a device certification program.

For utilities investing in infrastructure expected to remain operational for many years, the ability to source compatible equipment from different manufacturers can help reduce dependence on individual suppliers.

The LoRa Alliance currently counts more than 340 member organizations, including 58 that joined during 2026. Its ecosystem includes over 700 certified devices and nearly 1,000 products listed in the LoRa Alliance Marketplace.

For meter manufacturers, connectivity providers and system integrators, the increasing scale of LoRaWAN deployments creates opportunities but also raises expectations around interoperability, lifecycle management and deployment efficiency.

The broader significance of the latest figures lies in the combination of procurement momentum and operational evidence. While tender growth alone cannot establish market share, the presence of multi-million-device networks shows that LoRaWAN has progressed well beyond proof-of-concept deployments in smart metering.

With water utilities accounting for much of the current momentum, the next challenge will be maintaining reliable, manageable and interoperable connectivity as these networks continue to expand.

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