Airtel Business, the B2B division of Bharti Airtel, has revealed plans to facilitate more than 20 million smart meter installations for Adani Energy Solutions Ltd (AESL). Airtel intends to utilize its extensive communication network nationwide to ensure dependable and protected connectivity for AESL’s smart meter rollouts, as stated in a press release.
Airtel Business is a telecommunications company that offers comprehensive solutions in connectivity, cloud, security, and collaboration to cater to the evolving needs of businesses. Airtel Business provides innovative services, globally, to enhance digital transformation and enable seamless communication. Adani Energy Solutions, on the other hand, is a player in the smart metering and digital solutions sector, specializing in deploying advanced technologies for energy management. Leveraging its expertise, Adani Energy Solutions focuses on revolutionizing energy infrastructure by implementing smart prepaid meters and other innovative solutions to optimize energy usage. Both Airtel Business and Adani Energy Solutions, operate in distinct domains—telecommunications and energy solutions respectively—contributing significantly to their respective sectors with their cutting-edge technologies and services.
Airtel’s implementation of smart metering solutions, utilizing the capabilities of NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things), alongside 4G and 2G, aims to facilitate AESL in maintaining seamless, real-time connectivity. This integration ensures the continuous and uninterrupted transfer of essential data between smart meters and headend applications. NB-IoT, known as the Narrowband Internet of Things, is a low-power, wide-area technology in facilitating an extensive array of emerging IoT devices and services while ensuring minimal power consumption. Its significance lies in its ability to support the functionality of smart meters, thus contributing to the efficient operation and management of these essential utilities.
Airtel’s proposed solution incorporates its cutting-edge Airtel IoT Hub platform, an innovative system designed to facilitate the tracking and monitoring of smart meters. This platform is equipped with analytics and diagnostic features essential for managing and regulating energy consumption effectively. This statement, as articulated by the telecommunications company, reflects the comprehensive capabilities of their IoT solution in addressing the intricate needs of energy management through advanced technology and analytical tools. “Airtel expects its NB-IoT technology to play a significant role in the utility space to connect and manage smart meters at scale with enhanced coverage, high reliability, and security,” said Ganesh Lakshminarayanan, CEO of Airtel Business (India). Mr Lakshminarayanan has also emphasized the vital role played by these meters as essential foundations for smart grids and as pivotal facilitators in driving the digital transformation of the power industry.
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 of 2023, Airtel announced an achievement surpassing the connection of over 20 million devices via its IoT solutions. These solutions have been tailored to serve diverse sectors such as the automotive industry, energy, utilities, logistics, and manufacturing, offering dedicated and secure private networks aimed at facilitating the seamless transmission of data.
Airtel has recently established a strategic alliance with IntelliSmart, a provider specializing in smart metering and digital solutions. This collaboration aims to facilitate the implementation of up to 20 million smart meters across the country. Concurrently, the government has set its sights on replacing 250 million traditional electric meters with advanced smart prepaid meters by March 2026.
