Airtel said its smart metering solutions are powered by NB-IoT, 4G and 2G technologies
Airtel Business, which is the enterprise arm of Indian carrier Bharti Airtel, announced that it will power over 20 million smart meters for local utility firm Adani Energy Solutions Limited (AESL).
Under the terms of the deal, Airtel will deliver connectivity for all AESL’s smart meter deployments, through its nationwide communications network. In addition, Airtel’s smart metering solutions that are powered by NB-IoT, 4G and 2G, will help AESL to ensure real-time connectivity and uninterrupted transfer of critical data between smart meters and headend applications.
Airtel Business also highlighted that the solution will rely on Airtel’s IoT platform, dubbed “Airtel IoT Hub”, which enables smart meter tracking and monitoring with advanced analytics and diagnostic capabilities in addition to real-time insights and services.
Adani Energy Solutions has an order book of over 20 million smart meters from the power utilities of Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand.
Ganesh Lakshminarayanan, CEO of Airtel Business, said: “India’s smart metering program is one of the most significant policy reform measures undertaken by the Government. These meters are critical building blocks for smart grids and fundamental enablers for the digitalization of the power sector. 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.”
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Kandarp Patel, CEO of Adani Energy Solutions, said: “Our partnership with Airtel marks a critical step towards realizing the vision of a smarter, more efficient grid for all. This strategic tie-up leverages the best of both worlds: our deep domain expertise in the T&D sector and Airtel’s robust nationwide network and comprehensive suite of IoT offerings, including NB-IoT and 4G LTE. This powerful combination will enable us to seamlessly deploy our current order book of over 20 million smart meters across India, empowering millions of consumers with real-time consumption data and control, while simultaneously driving down inefficiencies in the distribution network”.
Bharti Airtel recently announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with smart metering and digital solutions provider IntelliSmart. Airtel noted the agreement will enable the telco to significantly expand its presence in different sectors with its IoT solutions.
In June, Bharti Airtel announced that Airtel Business had already connected over 20 million devices through its IoT solutions across India.
The company said that its Airtel IoT service provides enterprises across different industries such as automobile, energy, utilities, logistics, financial services and manufacturing with a secure and dedicated private network for the safe transmission of all customer data across connected devices.
Airtel said its portfolio includes solutions such as asset tracking, vehicle telematics, industrial asset monitoring and smart metering, among others. These IoT-based services are offered via different technologies such as 5G, 4G, NB-IoT, 2G and satellite.