In terms of energy conservation, communication technology and information are constantly evolving in order to meet all consumer demands. Customers now expect precise energy measurement, fast data, and excellent customer service. The ideal option is smart meters with different communication technologies that are cost effective and electrical section to have a bidirectional communication in which information about electricity usage is exchanged between users as well as by provider for remote checking. The Ministry of Energy in India has set a target date of 2025 for the nationwide replacement of current meters with smart meters. During the deployment, all energy users – except agricultural consumers – in regions with a communication network will be provided with prepaid smart meters. Union territories and electrical divisions with more than 50% of urban customers and aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses of more than 15% in fiscal year 2019-20 must be metered with smart meters by December 2023.
Deployment: EDF have installed 100,000 smart meters in India in April 2021. 

Under a contract with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), EDF, a French power utility company, has completed the installation of 100,000 smart meters in India. This is the country's first large-scale prepaid smart metre deployment. The achievement heralds the start of the commercial roll-out of 5 million smart meters across India, roughly half of which will be put in the state of Bihar. In 2019, EDF was procured in collaboration with Accenture Solutions Private Limited (India). It includes the design of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), the proper installation of 5 million smart meters across India, the integration of the smart meters with the existing billing systems of electricity distribution companies, and the operation and maintenance of the entire system for six and a half years.

The installation of these smart meters, along with the associated communication and IT infrastructure, will allow DISCOMs to obtain real-time energy consumption data for each consumer for subsequent analysis, paving the way for DISCOMs to implement various smart measures such as Time Of Day (TOD)/Time Of Use (TOU) billing, peak demand prediction and management, and providing real-time energy consolation. The installation of these meters will also eliminate the requirement for the metre reader to visit each client.