Europe’s grid edge is evolving, shaped by national regulation, legacy infrastructure and diverging technology choices. Smart meter rollouts vary widely in pace and maturity, prompting DSOs to re-evaluate how their smart electricity meters communicate. Growing electrification is increasing demand for grid-edge data, meaning connectivity must evolve to deliver the resilience, scalability, cost efficiency and long-term control required by DSOs. Hybrid, or mixed, connectivity technology approaches are now widely regarded as the most pragmatic solution.
Power Line Communication (PLC) has been the primary connectivity method in early rollout phases, often combined with cellular networks in data concentrators (DCUs). However, as data requirements grow and electrical noise in power lines increases, PLC may struggle to provide reliable communication. To meet these challenges, additional support is needed. As a result, utilities are increasingly exploring wireless alternatives, complementing cellular with other emerging wireless technologies to ensure dependable data transmission.
Outside Europe, utilities already recognise the value of dedicated wireless smart meter connectivity combined with public or private mobile networks. RF mesh has become the dominant smart meter communication technology in North America, while India is rapidly adopting RF mesh architectures to enable large-scale, resilient and cost-effective AMI deployments. The ETSI standard NR+ (DECT-2020 NR) is gaining attention in Europe as a complementary layer within evolving connectivity strategies. It is an RF mesh technology designed to support long AMI lifecycles while delivering the reliability and cost efficiency that utilities require, significantly reducing exposure to cellular network sunsets.
But what exactly is RF mesh?
RF mesh is a popular wireless networking topology in which smart meters automatically form a distributed network. Data is passed from meter to meter until it reaches a node that includes backhaul capability, typically cellular. Each smart meter acts as both an endpoint and a relay, creating multiple paths for data to traverse the network. If a path fails, traffic is dynamically rerouted via alternative routes, creating a self-healing, multi-path architecture with exhaustive coverage, well suited to large-scale, long-life infrastructure.
What problems does RF mesh solve?
RF mesh directly addresses the core challenges utilities face as grid-edge connectivity scales, aligning closely with the energy sector’s digital transformation objectives.
Technical sustainability
RF mesh operates independently of external infrastructures such as power lines and mobile network operator roadmaps. This decouples AMI deployments from technology refresh cycles and network sunsets and cable infrastructure reconfigurations allowing utilities to retain long-term control over critical communications assets.
Dynamic resilience
RF mesh networks are inherently resilient, using multiple paths to dynamically adapt to changing physical and radio environments. Traffic is automatically routed around coverage gaps and network congestion, while reliability issues caused by electrical noise on power cables is irrelevant.
Affordability
RF mesh is affordable because it aligns with the long-term total cost of ownership that DSOs prioritise over decades. By reducing reliance on third-party infrastructure and minimising additional equipment e.g. DCUs, it lowers maintenance and upgrade risks. For solution providers, RF mesh supports compliant, long-life systems within tight cost constraints, while offering predictable connectivity costs and strong alignment with meter lifecycles, ensuring reliable solutions over time.
Why is NR+ a game-changer for Europe?
Until recently, large-scale RF mesh deployments in Europe were largely limited to Nordic markets, where favourable licence-exempt spectrum conditions made such technology viable. Elsewhere, radio spectrum regulatory constraints have restricted the use of mesh networking at scale, reinforcing reliance on power-line communications or point-to-point cellular models. While these approaches have enabled early smart metering rollouts, they introduce structural limitations in scalability, cost predictability and long-term control.
NR+ changes this dynamic by operating in licence exempt radio spectrum explicitly defined for the standard. This enables DSOs to deploy private, utility-grade RF mesh networks with predictable performance and controlled radio resources, without dependence on copper infrastructure or MNO roadmaps. NR+ aligns connectivity lifecycles with those of metering assets and reduces exposure to technology sunsets and large-scale retrofit programmes.
Cellular connectivity continues to play a critical role within this architecture. Advances such as SGP.32 demonstrate clear recognition of the need for long-term operability, reliability and lifecycle management in critical infrastructure deployments. NR+ complements these developments by using cellular selectively for backhaul, rather than per-meter connectivity. Only a subset of devices requires cellular links, dramatically reducing the total number of subscriptions while preserving the reach, resilience and maturity of mobile networks.
This hybrid RF mesh–cellular model combines the strengths of both technologies. The scalability, resilience and cost efficiency of mesh at the grid edge, with the proven backhaul performance of cellular. NR+ therefore enables a more balanced, future-proof connectivity architecture, tailored to Europe’s regulatory, operational and economic realities.
Conclusion
NR+ brings RF mesh to Europe by providing access to dedicated radio spectrum designed for utility-scale deployment. It enables a shift away from grid-edge connectivity models driven by complex infrastructure and rising lifecycle costs.
By delivering a scalable, self-healing communications layer aligned with long asset lifecycles, NR+ transforms AMI from a recurring upgrade challenge into a long-term infrastructure investment. For Europe’s DSOs, it is not just another technology option, but a strategic opportunity to future-proof the grid edge.
Find out more about RF mesh and the NR+ standard at wirepas.com.
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Disclaimer: This is a blog space for debate where ESMIG members share their thought leadership. All opinions expressed are the author’s. The content of this article is not an official position paper endorsed by the association.