Bharti Airtel on Tuesday said its enterprise arm Airtel Business will provide real-time connectivity and smart internet-of-things (IoT) solutions for 20 million smart meters of Adani Energy Solutions.
Adani Energy Solutions has an order book of smart meters from the power utilities of Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand.
Airtel’s smart metering solutions, powered by narrowband IoT, 4G and 2G, will help Adani Energy ensure real-time connectivity and uninterrupted transfer of critical data between smart meters and head-end applications.
Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) is a low power wide area technology that enables a wide range of new IoT devices and services and ensures low power consumption. Such technology is crucial for smart meters.
The solution will also come powered with Airtel’s IoT platform, ‘Airtel IoT Hub,’ which enables smart meter tracking and monitoring with advanced analytics and diagnostic capabilities required to control energy consumption, the telco said in a statement.
“Airtel expects its NB-IoT technology to play a significant role in the utilities space to connect and manage smart meters at scale with enhanced coverage, high reliability and security,” said Ganesh Lakshminarayanan, CEO of Airtel Business (India).
According to Lakshminarayanan, these meters are critical building blocks for smart grids and fundamental enablers for the digitalisation of the power sector.
Kandarp Patel, CEO of Adani Energy, said: “This strategic tie-up leverages the best of both worlds: our deep domain expertise in the T&D (transmission and distribution) sector and Airtel’s robust nationwide network and comprehensive suite of IoT offerings, including NB-IoT and 4G LTE.”
In June 2023, Airtel said the company has connected more than 20 million devices through its IoT solutions. The company’s IoT solutions cater to various industries, including automobile, energy, utilities, logistics, and manufacturing, providing secure private networks for data transmission.
Airtel also recently formed a strategic partnership with smart metering and digital solutions provider IntelliSmart to power up to 20 million smart meters in the country.
The government is also looking to replace 250 million conventional electric meters with smart prepaid meters by March 2026.