It's good to see some demand for telco IoT, which despite the hype is growing very slowly. Tata Power in Delhi has just signed on with Reliance Jio for reading smart meters. Jio has 96+% 4G coverage of India. It has a massive Edge cloud & services build planned.
Telco IoT demand is developing so slowly outside of China that companies like NTT are cutting back. The 5G hype for IoT is so extreme I've been part of a chorus of skeptics. 90%+ of IoT will use Wi-Fi. Telco revenue will mostly come from applications like meter reading, connecting outside the home or office.5G does little or nothing for IoT, which works fine in 4G.
China Mobile is the only carrier that has done well in IoT. It is approaching a billion connections. To do that, CM provides massive support, whether a company wants a turnkey system or just API access. It's driven prices all the way down, including for the modules manufacturers need. Massive orders achieved prices of just a few dollars, which it passed on.
Companies like Vodafone and DT have high hopes for IoT but haven't released sales figures. I infer they aren't finding many customers.
Tata Power-DDL introduces Latest ‘Narrow Band-Internet of Things’ Technology in Smart MetersDate : Apr 08, 2021
• First of its kind installation of such smart meters in the country
• New Technology to nullify interference and obstruction due to public network congestion; data will now come through a dedicated channel
• Technology to assist in remote meter readings in pandemic times
After successfully installing 2.3 Lakh smart meters on RF technology, Tata Power Delhi Distribution (Tata Power-DDL), a leading power distribution company serving a populace of 7 million in North Delhi, has launched a unique Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology in Smart Meters. This is the first installation of its kind in the country where smart meters have been installed on NB-IoT. The technology integration has been done involving meter manufacturers and NB-IoT service of Reliance-Jio Network.
NB-IoT is a new and cost effective technology in 4G and 5G spectrum with fast deployment quality. With this technology, the interference and obstruction arising due to public network congestion will not hamper the performance of smart meter anymore as data will smoothly flow through a dedicated channel. It will also enable more number of remote meter readings possible thereby ensuring the safety of the consumers during pandemic times.
Commenting on the technology, Mr. Ganesh Srinivasan, CEO, Tata Power-DDL said, "Tata Power-DDL is a forerunner in adopting and implementing latest technologies and solutions for its consumers. The introduction of new Narrow Band-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) in smart meters is one such revolutionising technology. It is 4G & 5G compatible, and will ensure smooth flow of data via a dedicated channel ironing out the interference and obstruction due to ever congested public network leading to seamless performance of smart meters. I believe, this unique technology integration will not only strengthen our credentials as a Utility of the Future but also take the Indian Smart Metering Mission to the next level.”
The interoperability has also been achieved at Meter Data Management level whereby meters from multiple makes and different technologies are collected, worked upon and analysed at the same platform.