According to research from Pike Research, global annual service revenue from public cellular network nodes in smart-grid applications will exceed $1 billion by 2020, representing a 27 percent CAGR from 2011 to 2020.

Utilities have used public cellular networks for linking field devices to the utility's central operations systems for a long time. However, recently the use of such networks in the utility sector has been limited due to restrictive pricing and perceived technical limitations.

But a variety of factors is leading a major shift in how utilities view public cellular options as they roll out smart grid infrastructure.