Vodafone Idea’s Enterprise Arm Doubles Down on IoT with Smart Metering for Electricity & Gas

Vodafone Idea’s enterprise division, Vi Business, is charting an ambitious course into the Internet of Things (IoT) space, with a strategic focus on smart metering solutions across electricity and gas sectors. The move aligns with India’s national push toward digital utility infrastructure and positions Vi as a key player in the evolving smart grid ecosystem.

12 Million Smart Electricity Meters in Pipeline

Vi Business plans to deploy 12 million smart electricity meters over the next three years, supporting the government’s India Smart Grid Mission and the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). The RDSS aims to replace 250 million conventional meters with IoT-enabled prepaid smart meters by 2028, targeting improved billing efficiency and reduced power theft.

The telco’s proprietary Vi Business IoT Smart Central platform will serve as the backbone of this rollout, offering centralized control, real-time data analytics, and seamless integration with DISCOMs (distribution companies). The platform is designed to reduce Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses, enable remote meter control, and provide consumers with transparent, real-time energy usage insights.

Expanding Horizons: Smart Gas Metering Pilots Underway

Beyond electricity, Vi Business is piloting smart gas metering solutions for commercial applications. These pilots involve partnerships with City Gas Distributors (CGDs), Advanced Metering Infrastructure Service Providers (AMISPs), and gas meter manufacturers. The initiative leverages Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) technology, known for its low power consumption and reliable connectivity, to ensure robust performance in gas distribution networks.

Infrastructure & Innovation Driving Scale

To support its smart metering ambitions, Vi has established a dedicated IoT lab for pre-deployment testing and certification. This facility enables faster rollouts and minimizes operational errors. The company also emphasizes telco-grade encryption and security protocols, ensuring data privacy and reliability for both utilities and end-users.

Competitive Landscape Heats Up

Vi’s foray into smart metering places it in direct competition with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, both of which are aggressively expanding their IoT portfolios. As India’s utility sector undergoes digital transformation, telecom operators are increasingly positioning themselves as technology enablers for infrastructure modernization.

With policy tailwinds and rising demand for intelligent utility management, Vi Business’s smart meter strategy could mark a pivotal shift in how energy and gas consumption are monitored, billed, and optimized across the country.

Adani Group to Invest $3.36 Billion in Bihar; To Set Up Ultra-supercritical Thermal Power Plant

The Adani Group has announced a massive investment of Rs 28,000 crore (about 3.36 Billion USD) in Bihar. This investment will be used to set up an ultra-supercritical thermal power plant, expand cement production capacity, and enhance their food processing and logistics businesses.

An ultra-supercritical thermal power plant is a type of power plant that operates at extremely high temperatures and pressures. This advanced technology allows the plant to achieve higher efficiency and lower emissions compared to traditional coal-fired power plants. These plants can achieve efficiencies of around 46%, compared to about 38% for subcritical plants and 41-42% for supercritical plants.

This project is expected to create thousands of jobs and significantly boost Bihar's infrastructure. It's a major step towards addressing the state's electricity deficit and promoting economic growth. This means they use less coal to produce the same amount of electricity.

The group plans to invest Rs 20,000 crore to set up this power plant, which is expected to generate around 12,000 jobs during the pre-commissioning phase and 1,500 skilled jobs during operations.

Cement Production: An additional Rs 2,500 crore will be invested to expand cement production capacity to 10 million tonnes per annum (MMTPA), creating 9,000 jobs.

Logistics and Warehousing: Rs 2,300 crore will be invested to enhance logistics and warehousing facilities, generating 27,000 jobs.

Smart Meter Manufacturing: The group will invest Rs 2,100 crore to manufacture and install 28 lakh smart meters in cities like Siwan, Gopalganj, Vaishali, Saran, and Samastipur, creating 4,000 jobs.

Strategic Infrastructure: Another Rs 1,000 crore will be invested in developing strategic infrastructure such as Gati Shakti Railway Terminals, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), and Industrial Warehousing Parks.

Overall, this investment is to create 53,500 direct and indirect jobs and significantly boost Bihar's infrastructure and economy.

Airtel Business to Power 20 Mn Smart Meters for Adani Energy Solutions with Its Smart IoT solutions

Airtel Business – the B2B arm of Bharti Airtel, one of India’s leading telecommunications service providers – today announced that it will power over 20 million smart meters for Adani Energy Solutions Limited (AESL).

Airtel, through its robust nationwide communications network will deliver reliable and secure connectivity for all AESL’s smart meter deployments. In addition, Airtel’s transformative 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. 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 in addition to real-time insights and services that empower customers with enhanced control over their energy consumption. 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 - Airtel Business (India), said, “India’s smart metering programme 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. We look forward to a long and fruitful association with the Adani Group, supporting them in their endeavours to digitize utilities”.

Kandarp Patel, CEO - Adani Energy Solutions Ltd., said, “India’s ambitious Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) is transforming the way we deliver power, and AESL is proud to be at the forefront of this revolution. Our partnership with Airtel marks a critical step towards realising 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”.

Headquartered in India, Airtel is a global communications solutions provider with over 500 million customers in 17 countries across South Asia and Africa. The company ranks amongst the top three mobile operators globally and its networks cover over two billion people. Airtel is India’s largest integrated communications solutions provider and the second largest mobile operator in Africa. Airtel’s retail portfolio includes high-speed 4G/5G mobile broadband, Airtel Xstream Fiber that promises speeds up to 1 Gbps with convergence across linear and on-demand entertainment, streaming services spanning music and video, digital payments and financial services. For enterprise customers, Airtel offers a gamut of solutions that includes secure connectivity, cloud and data center services, cyber security, IoT, Ad Tech and cloud-based communication. For more details, visit www.airtel.com/

Airtel Forays Into Smart Metering, Partners IntelliSmart for End-to-End IoT Solution for Smart Metering

Airtel Business enters into strategic partnership with IntelliSmart for powering up to 20 million smart meters

To offer end-to-end IoT solution for smart metering, including Cloud, Head End System and Analytics

Indian teleco giant Bharti Airtel has announced that it has formed a strategic partnership to power up to 20 million smart meters with IntelliSmart Infrastructure Private Limited, a leading smart metering and digital solutions provider. This marks Airtel’s foray into smart metering applications such as Head End System, Meter Data Management Systems along with Cloud and Analytics.

This is one of the largest such deal in the smart metering space in the country. It will significantly contribute towards Airtel’s fast-growing IoT deployment across sectors.

Airtel’s IoT proposition includes its proprietary platform the “Airtel IoT Hub” which will help the utility track and monitor these smart meters with advanced analytics while maintaining extremely high reliability augmented with telco grade security. Housed on Airtel’s own cloud network, the IoT hub will allow enterprise users the capability to connect and manage billions of devices and applications in a highly secure and seamless fashion.

Ganesh Lakshminarayanan – CEO, Airtel Business (India) said about the venture, “We have further strengthened our market leadership as the largest IoT enabler in the country. IoT is one of the fastest-growing business segments for Airtel Business and, with this deal, we are now strategically positioned to play a pivotal role in driving the Govt. of India’s vision of digitising 250 million conventional meters to smart meters. As we connect the devices across the country on our platform, we will exponentially grow our current IoT market share of 55.4% (as on Q1 FY23-24).”

Anil Rawal – MD & CEO, Intellismart Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. had this to say, “India’s smart metering programme is one of the significant steps taken by the government to modernise the power distribution sector. Smart meters are critical building blocks for smart grids and a fundamental enabler of the digitalisation efforts of the power system. As we set forward to implement one of India’s largest portfolios of smart meters, we are relying on some of the most able and potent partners in the sector for various solution elements to support the successful deployment of our Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solutions. We are confident that the on-boarding of Airtel as a strategic partner will be a significant step towards our goal of creating strong associations to strengthen our infrastructure solution with a resilient and secure cloud-hosted cellular communication network.”

The Government of India has the ambitious vision of replacing 250 million conventional meters with Smart Meters in the next five years as part of the AMI initiative. Airtel IoT aims to play a pivotal role in enabling this vision of the government with its unique capabilities. Power sector digitisation aided by the Government of India's push to usher in transparency and consumer friendly measures in this sector will see innovation such as Smart Meters become commonplace.

Headquartered in India, Airtel is a global communications solutions provider with over 500 Mn customers in 17 countries across South Asia and Africa. The company ranks amongst the top three mobile operators globally and its networks cover over two billion people. Airtel is India’s largest integrated communications solutions provider and the second largest mobile operator in Africa. Airtel’s retail portfolio includes high-speed 4G/5G mobile broadband, Airtel Xstream Fiber that promises speeds up to 1 Gbps with convergence across linear and on-demand entertainment, streaming services spanning music and video, digital payments and financial services. For enterprise customers, Airtel offers a gamut of solutions that includes secure connectivity, cloud and data center services, cyber security, IoT, Ad Tech and cloud-based communication. For more details visit www.airtel.com/

IntelliSmart Infrastructure Private Limited is India’s leading smart metering and digital solutions provider. It is a joint venture of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), established with the core purpose of becoming the most preferred digital partner of the utilities. Our organisational culture is built on the core values of Integrity, Respect, Innovation and Sustainability, which influence our everyday endeavours and collective practices.

7 Million North-Delhi Consumers of Tata Power-DDL To Get AI-based OCR Application for Meter Reading

A field worker taking meter reading using OCR

Deploys optical character recognition (OCR) technology for gathering meter readings

Aims to ensure 100% accuracy in meter reading & billing

Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (Tata Power-DDL), a pioneering power utility supplying electricity to a populace of over 7 million in North Delhi today announced a partnership with Anyline, a global leader in mobile data capture and artificial intelligence, to reduce non-technical losses through the introduction of a new forensic meter reading solution for field workers.

This industry-first innovation marks the first use of optical character recognition (OCR) for meter reading by Tata Power-DDL, and is the result of a collaboration between the companies. Following development and testing, the solution has been rolled out to field workers across North Delhi.

Combining mobile data capture and AI-powered anti-spoofing capabilities, the new scanning solution is integrated into the mobile devices of field workers to gather meter readings. By scanning utility meters with their mobile device cameras, field workers can instantly capture meter readings, which are then verified by Tata Power-DDL to detect whether the data and images submitted are genuine and accurate.

Tata Power-DDL’s operations span across an area of 510 sq. km, including over 1.9 million meters, which are recorded monthly by field workers. With the introduction of this new solution, the company has been able to significantly improve the data quality of readings, while also reducing the cycle time of meter billing for customers. These combined benefits aim to improve the speed and efficiency of the process.

Commenting on the partnership, Ganesh Srinivasan, ​​CEO, Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited said, “We are committed to enhancing customer experience through integration and adoption of latest technologies. Our partnership with Anyline is a step in the same direction. The introduction of this solution will help us in delivering value proposition to our customers while ensuring that they are billed accurately for the energy they consume.”

The solution will help to overcome human discrepancies leading to faulty readings and accordingly, ensure accuracy in meter reading and billing. It will also help to bring down the non-technical losses of the discom.

Speaking about the association, Anyline, CEO and co-founder Lukas Kinigadner said, “We are delighted to have partnered with Tata Power-DDL, a truly innovative leader in power distribution, to develop this industry-first solution. We look forward to building on this work together in the future, with the aim of further leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to resolve other key challenges in the energy sector.”

Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited is a joint venture between Tata Power and the Government of NCT of Delhi. Tata Power-DDL distributes electricity in North Delhi and serves a populace of 7 million. Tata Power-DDL has been a frontrunner in implementing power distribution reforms and is acknowledged for its consumer-friendly practices. Since privatization, the Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses in Tata Power-DDL areas have shown a record decline. Today, AT&C losses stand at 7% which is an unprecedented reduction of 87% from an opening loss level of 53% in July 2002. To learn more about Tata Power-DDL, please visit www.tatapower-ddl.com

How Smart Energy Monitors Could Save You Money On Electricity Bills

Business Wire India
Consumers have little visibility into their day-to-day electricity consumption and how using various appliances can influence their bills. The bill shows consumers total energy usage for the statement period and overall totals for the year. It doesn’t pinpoint how and where of energy consumption.

Smart energy monitors offer real-time information of home or office power consumption on a user's mobile app and track usage trends that can help users consume less energy and save on their electricity bill. Studies have found that users save 15 - 20% on their power bills and significantly reduce their carbon footprint.

Some key features to consider when selecting the best home energy monitor are that they provide energy details of the entire home or office, can provide appliance-specific information, have an easy-to-use app, and offer easy installation. Some monitors also provide “solar net metering”, a useful feature for places with solar installations

For a detailed account of energy use throughout the home or office, consider a whole-house power monitor, which has sensors that connect to the home’s electrical panel or meter. The energy monitor tracks the performance and power consumption of each appliance based on its connection to an individual circuit. The sensors gather information, and the monitor analyzes the data and transmits insights or notifications to the user's phone. When linked to Wi-Fi, home energy monitors provide details on energy use in kilowatts and cost in rupees in real time.

There are many such devices available that offer such features. A popular one is the Emporia Vue manufactured by the US-based Emporia Energy Corp. The latest Emporia Vue Gen 2 version was recently launched in India in partnership with Genconnect Marketing Services LLP. The product is currently available through their website www.indem.in and Amazon India.

Genus Power Makes History, Supplies 1.5 Million Smart Meters to EESL

Genus Power Infrastructures Ltd (Genus Power), the country’s  largest electricity metering solutions provider, becomes the first company in Asia Pacific to achieve the milestone of supplying 1.5M Smart Meters to EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Ltd), bearing a testimony of the manufacturing capability of an Indian company for such an advance meter amid global competition.

Genus Power is the largest supplier of Smart Meters in India and is currently executing a big contract for EESL. EESL plays a vital role in implementing India’s ambitious plan of rolling out 240 million Smart Meters in next 3 years as planned by the Ministry of Power, Government of India.

Excited with this achievement, Jitendra K Agarwal, Jt Managing Director, Genus Power said, “As a leader in the Smart Metering industry, we are proud to be the first in India to achieve this figure. The Smart Meters commissioned in various states have played an important role during the COVID 19 pandemic. The nationwide lockdown and social distancing prohibited DISCOMs from physically taking the monthly meter readings. All states where Genus Power Smart Meters were installed have been able to take readings remotely that resulted in bill generation & collection, helping DISCOMs to sustain their operations.”  

Mr Saurabh Kumar, Managing Director, EESL said, “Smart Meters offer numerous benefits to DISCOMs as well as consumers. They also have the potential to make the power sector increasingly resilient, transparent, digitized, and accountable. A seamless and consumer-focused energy ecosystem is the way forward and thus we must encourage the adoption of smart meters across the country.”

Riding on its large installed base of more than 60 million electricity meters and domain expertise, Genus Power has embarked on an ambitious programme on Smart Metering in line with the Smart Grid vision of the Government of India. The company is currently exporting its products to Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific regions.