{
  "id": 19491044,
  "title": "UK smart meter replacement cost could reach £4 billion due to network upgrades",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/uk-smart-meter-replacement-cost-could-reach-4-billion-due-to-network",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-11-11T11:50:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/phones/millions-of-uk-smart-meters-will-need-replacing-thanks-to-the-3g-and-2g-switch-offs-and-it-wont-be-cheap"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The replacement of UK smart meters could cost up to £4 billion due to the decommissioning of 2G and 3G networks, reports The Register. Many early smart meters rely on these older networks, which are set to be phased out by 2033, leaving roughly 12-13 million meters unable to transmit data. The government had anticipated this issue back in 2021, when it announced plans to phase out 2G and 3G, but the cost of replacing the affected meters is expected to be significant, likely adding to already high energy bills. However, the situation is somewhat mitigated by the fact that newer smart meters that use 4G technology are less likely to require replacement in the near future.",
  "summary": "The UK's smart meters might not have been such a smart idea after all, as many of them will soon need replacing.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}