At Enlit Europe 2025 in Bilbao, AQUA played a central role in one of the event’s most technical and strategically relevant discussions: the growing challenge of Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) in smart water metering.
On 20 November, Frank Petersen — Convenor of AQUA’s Standard Essential Patents Working Group and Head of Intellectual Property at Kamstrup A/S — took the stage at the Digitalisation Hub (Hall 1) with the session “The Tech Backbone: Power and Connectivity Challenges in Smart Water Systems.”
His contribution offered a rigorous and insightful analysis of how SEP-related licensing claims have become an increasingly critical issue for manufacturers adopting wireless communication technologies, especially cellular networks.
As Petersen explained, manufacturers often face simultaneous licensing demands from multiple patent holders — sometimes nine or more — creating legal uncertainty, operational complexity and significant financial exposure. With the recent withdrawal of the EU proposal that aimed to regulate SEPs, the sector is now searching for alternative solutions.
Among the options presented, Petersen highlighted:
Migrating to alternative wireless technologies, such as LoRa, which could allow manufacturers to operate outside the scope of many cellular communication patents.
Establishing License Negotiation Groups (LNGs), which — if approved by European competition authorities — could facilitate structured, high-level agreements between patent pools and manufacturers, helping break the current deadlock.
AQUA’s intervention offered a clear and forward-looking perspective on a complex issue, emphasising that closer collaboration between industry, associations and regulators will be essential to ensure a fair and sustainable evolution of the smart metering landscape.
The session not only addressed the challenges but also shed light on opportunities for technological innovation and improved governance of intellectual property.
AQUA reaffirmed its role as a trusted and authoritative voice in shaping the future of connected, efficient and IP-secure water systems across Europe.