In Pakistan, people will soon get rid of the outdated electricity meter and reading system replaced by electronic meters which will feature a SIM card.
Let me make it clear that this is not a new or revolutionary technology as this electricity meter is present in various countries of the world while we still rely on people to record the meter readings.
The telecom companies have been asking the government to roll out this automated system but due to some vested interests of the electricity mafia, we still shy away from advanced technology.
Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) has completed the bidding documents for the Advanced Metering Infrastructure, which is yet to be approved by the Asian Development Bank. In this project, the company will install 1.8 million advanced meters over the course of four years where Rs. 30 billion will be provided by the Asian Development Bank.
This new metering system will automate the billing system where the system will send the data of meter reading directly to the server to further generate an electronic electricity bill.
It can help save consumption of electricity by keeping the electricity thieves at bay. Also, LESCO will no longer need to send someone to disrupt someone’s electricity supply in case of non-payment of dues as they can cut off the user’s supply from the grid station.
