Bharti Airtel plans to soon enter the home automation or smart home segment with its Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine solutions in a move aimed at expanding its revenue base, allowing users to control elements such as lighting, heating, air conditioning, music and security systems through smartphones.
Home automation is an area that offers retail customer use cases, Harmeen Mehta, group chief information officer at Bharti Airtel told Economic Times that the segment is in its nascent stages and real application of use cases and processes have just started to crystallise for the industry.
According to a study by Zion Market Research, the global smart home market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.5 per cent between 2017 and 2022. The market revenue of $24.10 billion in 2016 is expected to grow up to $53.45 billion by 2022.
Geographically, the market is still metros centric, with Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru accounting for 80-90 per cent of the market, said Rohan Dhamija, head for India and South Asia at telecom consulting firm Analysys Mason.
