It was announced earlier this month that the UK smart meter...

It was announced earlier this month that the UK smart meter project would be delayed by a year.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/may/10/smart-meter-rollout-delay-year

As per the article (and other articles) one important reason for the delay was:

"The delay reflects difficulties in coordinating the rollout as there are a variety of standards and features attached to the meters and little agreement on the technology."

NTC were not involved in this tender because Cable & Wireless decided to go with a mesh solution (as opposed to cellular). The delay means that the a future tender could be for cellular technology which gives NTC another chance at the 50 million unit prize.