Airtel’s Leap in IoT Connectivity
Bharti Airtel, a leading Indian telecom operator, has achieved a significant milestone through its B2B division, Airtel Business, by connecting over 20 million devices across India with its IoT solutions.
Diverse Industry Applications
Airtel’s IoT service caters to a wide range of industries, including automobile, energy, utilities, logistics, financial services, and manufacturing. This service offers a secure, private network that ensures the safe transmission of data across connected devices.
Notable Partnerships and Deployments
Airtel’s recent accomplishments in the IoT sector include several key partnerships. These include collaborating with Secure Meters for deploying 1.3 million smart meters in Bihar using NB-IoT technology, partnering with TP Western Odisha Distribution Limited (TPWODL) for 200,000 smart meters in Odisha, and a significant alliance with Matter Motor Works to connect 300,000 bikes via cellular IoT technology.
Airtel’s Vision for IoT in Digital India
Ganesh Lakshminarayanan, CEO of Airtel Business India, expressed pride in this achievement, emphasizing IoT as a crucial component of India’s digital growth. He reaffirmed Airtel’s commitment to partnering with enterprises for digital transformation through innovative IoT solutions.
IoT Portfolio and Technologies
Airtel’s IoT portfolio spans a range of solutions, including asset tracking, vehicle telematics, industrial asset monitoring, and smart metering. These services are powered by various technologies, including 5G, 4G, NB-IoT, 2G, and satellite.
Expanding 5G Services
Bharti Airtel’s CEO, Gopal Vittal, revealed ambitious plans for their 5G services, aiming to cover 7,000 cities and nearly 100,000 villages across India by March 2024. Airtel’s current 5G network already reaches over 3,500 towns and cities nationwide.
Airtel’s Initial 5G Rollout
Airtel commenced its 5G services in October 2022 in key cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, among others. The operator utilizes equipment from renowned vendors like Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung, supported by a substantial spectrum acquisition in various bands.
Collaborative Ventures in 5G
Airtel is actively engaged in discussions with nearly 50 companies to co-develop enterprise use cases for 5G technology. The company anticipates that 5G will generate higher revenues in the B2B sector compared to the B2C segment in the upcoming year, highlighting its strategic focus on enterprise solutions in the 5G era.