Vi Business Exploring IoT Push with Smart Meter Deployments Across Multiple Sectors

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Vi Business Exploring IoT Push with Smart Meter Deployments Across Multiple Sectors: Report

Vi Business Exploring IoT Push with Smart Meter Deployments Across Multiple Sectors
Vodafone Idea (Vi) is seeking to leverage its Internet of Things (IoT) network to explore smart meter-driven business opportunities across multiple sectors, including oil and gas, while scaling its presence in the electricity segment. Vi’s push—along with those of private telcos Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio—aligns with the Indian government’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), which aims to replace 250 million traditional electricity meters with prepaid, IoT-enabled smart meters by March 2028.

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Also Read: Vi Business to Deploy 12 Million Smart Meters Across India in Three Years

Leveraging IoT for Smart Utilities

“Similar to electricity, we are exploring possibilities in collaboration with city gas distributors (CDGs), advanced metering infrastructure service providers (AMISPs), and gas meter manufacturers. We are engaged in a pilot project for commercial gas smart meters leveraging NB-IoT,” a Vi Business spokesperson told ETTelecom, according to a report dated August 9, 2025.

Recently, Vi announced plans to connect 12 million smart electricity meters nationwide within the next three years, in alignment with the India Smart Grid Mission. The initiative aims to help distribution companies (DISCOMs) reduce aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses, while enabling consumers to access immediate and transparent insights into their energy consumption.

“The 12 million smart meters deployment shall be done through the AMISPs partnerships and the deployments would spread across 8 DISCOMs,” the spokesperson reportedly said. “We are actively engaged with AMISPs and private DISCOMs with our innovative technology solutions to enhance productivity, leading to cost savings and better service delivery.”

The reduction of AT&C losses is a critical goal for distribution companies. Ministry of Power data shows losses declined from 22.62 percent in 2014 to 15 percent in 2025, with a target of 10 percent by 2030.

As mentioned in the report, according to the spokesperson, Vi directly engages with private DISCOMs, with the latter managing their own smart meter deployments. On the contrary, AMISPs deploy smart meters for state-owned DISCOMs, and either have direct contracts with state-owned DISCOMs or work with REC/Power Finance Corporation (PFC).

Also Read: VI Business Offers IoT Lab-As-A-Service in Collaboration With C-DoT

AT&C loss reduction

The Vi Business spokesperson noted that DISCOMs have recorded a reduction in the AT&C losses, improvements in collections, and other benefits by implementing smart meters.

“The real-time consumption data and analysis-driven insights are paving the way for implementing prepaid mechanisms along with remote connection and disconnection capability; enablement of insights to exercise dynamic power purchase as an option as per requirement; peak demand analysis; and distribution and capacity planning,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Vi says it is the first telco to have an end-to-end Integrated IoT offering, comprising connectivity, hardware, network, application, analytics, security and support.

Beyond electricity and gas, Vi is expanding its IoT footprint in diverse use cases, including battery monitoring, sound box, transport management, solar and water management, and smart street lighting. In September 2022, the company partnered with Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) to install 5 million IoT-enabled smart meters across Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

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