Worldwide smart grid communications node shipments to total 276 million during the period from 2010 to 2016, with annual shipments increasing dramatically from 15 million in 2009 to 55 million by 2016, according to a Pike Research report.
Pike research expects that this will represent a total industry investment of $20.3bn during the seven-year forecast period, with annual revenues increasing from $1.8bn in 2009 to $3.1bn by 2016, despite rapidly falling average selling prices (ASPs) per node.
Bob Gohn, senior analyst at Pike Research, said: "The greatest myth of the smart grid is that there will be one communications technology to rule them all.
"The reality is that smart grid networks will be as diverse as the Internet, including fixed and wireless, public and private, standard and proprietary technologies. Different technologies will lead in various application categories, based on their respective cost and performance characteristics."
Gohn said that the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) nodes for smart meters will be the largest communications equipment category over the next several years, followed distantly by home area network (HAN) nodes and network interface converters.
Smaller node categories include generalised grid routers, AMI concentrators, wide area network (WAN) backbone nodes, substation routers, and substation ethernet switches.
