Airtel and Secure Meters partner to implement NB-IoT services in smart meters in Bihar

Bharti Airtel has teamed up with Secure Meters to deploy a smart meter solution powered by Narrow Band (NB-IoT) technology, which will be deployed in 1.3 million homes in Northern Bihar. This initiative marks India's first NB-IoT solution on a narrow band, featuring a fallback option that operates on 2G and 4G, ensuring seamless real-time connectivity and the uninterrupted transmission of essential data.

NB-IoT, developed by 3GPP, is a low-power, wide-area radio network technology that enables various IoT devices and services, including smart meters. Airtel said that its network is ready for pan India NB-IoT deployment.

"IoT is one of the fastest-growing business segments for Airtel Business. This venture into NB-IoT strengthens our credentials as the largest cellular IoT player in the country and places us firmly as a partner of choice for Discoms looking to invest in smart meters. We look forward to being an active player in India’s energy transition," said Ajay Chitkara, Director and CEO, Airtel Business.

According to Airtel, its NB-IoT platform can be easily scaled to accommodate 5G technology. In addition, it includes Airtel's advanced IoT platform known as "The Airtel IoT Hub," which has been tailored to meet the specific requirements of Advance Metering Infrastructure Service Providers (AMISPs). The platform offers an enterprise-grade feasibility tool that enables AMISPs to plan their meter deployments more efficiently. It also provides a range of other features, including customer lifecycle management and advanced analytics tools such as diagnostics, live session checks, and real-time data usage tracking.

"We are thrilled to have partnered with Airtel for the implementation of NB-IoT services in our smart meter rollout in North Bihar. Their expertise, professionalism and dedication to providing top-notch services ensured we learnt together and had a successful launch. With Airtel's support, we were able to seamlessly connect and monitor our meters, resulting in greater efficiency and cost savings for Secure and for our customers in North Bihar," said Ananya Singhal, Joint MD ─ Secure Meters.