The meters CenterPoint is installing store billing information and upload it three times a day to nearby radio receivers that are connected to computers via broadband over power lines.
The network of amateur ham radio operators regularly spring into action during emergencies, such as hurricanes, when other lines of communication are cut.
While opening-day iPhone lines vary by location -- what passes as early enough at a Radio Shack in Nevada may not work for an Apple store in New York -- analysts generally say advance consumer demand for the iPhone 5 is outpacing previous models.