Airtel Business, the B2B arm of Bharti Airtel, announced that it would supply Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to power over 20 million smart meters for Adani Energy Solutions (AESL).

Airtel’s smart metering offerings are powered by Narrowband-IoT, 4G, and 2G technologies to ensure real-time connectivity and uninterrupted transfer of critical data between smart meters and headend applications.

AESL’s 20 million smart meter order book is spread across power utilities of Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand.

The smart meters will be installed with Airtel’s IoT platform called Airtel IoT Hub, enabling smart meter tracking and monitoring with advanced analytics and diagnostic capabilities. It will also provide real-time insights and services to empower consumers with enhanced control over energy consumption.

Ganesh Lakshminarayanan, CEO of Airtel Business (India), 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.”

Airtel, in the past year, has partnered with Secure Meters to deploy 1.3 million NB-IoT-powered smart meters in Bihar and 20 million smart meters with IntelliSmart Infrastructure.

Kandarp Patel, CEO of AESL, said, “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.”

According to the recent data published by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme’s prepaid smart metering intervention, 197.92 million prepaid smart meters, 5.22 million distribution transformer meters, and 188,491 feeder meters worth a total ₹1.3 trillion (~$15.61 billion) have been approved as of December 2023.

The prepaid smart meter program has an estimated outlay of ₹1.5 trillion (~$18.01 billion) with a government budgetary support of ₹230 billion (~$2.76 billion) and a target of installing 250 million prepaid smart meters.

In December, AESL secured a letter of intent to acquire Halvad Transmission, a special-purpose vehicle established by PFC Consulting to evacuate 7 GW of renewable energy from the Khavda Renewable Energy park in Gujarat.