Tata Communications, a leading digital infrastructure provider, is working with Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL), one of India's leading natural gas distribution companies, to deploy 5,000 smart gas meters in Mumbai. The new smart meters will give households and businesses unprecedented visibility and control over their gas usage, and enable MGL to enhance operational efficiencies.

As the global smart gas meter market is set to grow from around USD 1.59 billion in 2016 to USD 2.27 billion by 2021, it is expected that there will be around 130 million smart meters across India in the next three years.

MGL’s new smart meters will be equipped with reliable, secure connectivity provided by Tata Communications’ public Internet of Things (IoT) network. This infrastructure is based on an ultra-low-power, long-range LoRaWANTM network, which enables MGL to simultaneously monitor thousands of smart meters. It means that its customers would not have to manually check their gas meter readings – instead the smart system will automatically track their gas usage.

“We want to help our customers better understand their energy use, save money and reduce their carbon footprint - while improving our own operational efficiencies,” said Rajeev Mathur, Managing Director Mahanagar Gas Limited. “Smart meters connected to Tata Communications’ IoT network will enable households and businesses to access insights on their gas usage in real-time using an interactive online dashboard.”

“Our recent India-wide research found that the home is where people expect IoT to make a big difference, with over 90% of people surveyed saying that they would like to use IoT to monitor their home appliances remotely in real-time, for example,” said VS Shridhar, Senior Vice President and Head for Internet of Things, Tata Communications. “Smart metering is one of many IoT-enabled applications that could transform how people live and engage with the world around them, and how businesses operate and engage with their customers. We look forward to working with MGL and other innovative utility companies, as they harness the power of IoT to improve the way they serve their customers and manage all aspects of their operations.”

Tata Communications is building the foundation for IoT in India with the world's largest IoT network, spanning nearly 2,000 communities and touching over 400 million people in total. To-date, the company has rolled out the LoRaWANTM network in 38 cities, with more cities planned for implementation over the next two years.