MAM
Oakter launches smart meter for efficient energy management
Mumbai: Oakter, a leading provider of innovative consumer electronics has announced the launch of OAKMETER, a state-of-the-art Smart Energy Meter designed to revolutionize energy consumption management.
Unlike traditional meters, Oakter’s Smart Meter employs advanced technologies such as Advanced Metering Infrastructure, real-time data analytics, and Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities. This enables two-way communication with the utility’s server via internet connectivity, facilitating seamless detection of tampering, real-time data transmission at intervals as frequent as every 15 or 30 minutes, outage identification and visibility of energy consumption on mobile devices. These features result in reduced manual intervention, increased operational efficiency, minimized error, and substantial cost savings for both consumers and utilities.
Commenting on the idea behind making this Smart Meter, Oakter CEO Shishir Gupta commented, “Sustainable energy is a primary need for our planet in current times. While India’s current capacity to produce more electricity than total demand is a positive development, coupled with the increasing deployment of renewable energy, there is still progress to be made. The big issue right now is losses in distribution, which can be attributed to power thefts, corruption, and inefficient infrastructure. Smart Meters are the solution to this problem by providing real-time visibility of distribution and consumption across the country. Hence the Indian government has launched the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) to replace all energy meters with smart energy meters. Oakter’s competence in development and manufacturing of smart IoT devices is perfectly suited to manufacture high-quality smart energy meters in large quantities. Therefore, we have set up a manufacturing unit to produce 10 Lakh Smart Energy Meters per Month. We have made these investments and built these capacities to support the government initiative and mandate given to private industry.”
Oakter’s Smart Meters have undergone rigorous testing in the company’s NABL-certified lab to ensure peak functionality, surpassing the accuracy of traditional Class 1 meters. Designed to meet the specifications of all utilities across the country, these meters leverage Oakter’s expertise in deploying over two crore IoT devices in the market. With 4G connectivity, low latency, and optimized communication protocols, Oakter has set a new standard in smart meter technology.
OAKMETER is a high-quality Smart Meter that meets stringent quality standards, including BIS (ISI Mark as per IS16444 standard), CE Certified, RoHS, CBIP 325 Certified for Tamper Protection, CMMI level three certified, and ISO compliant.
OAKMETER is a business-to-business (B2B) product supplied directly to utilities, with Oakter providing a 10-year warranty on all products. The typical contract for Smart Meters includes installation, support, and finance based on the DBFOOT (Design-Build Finance-Own-Operate-Transfer) Model, with contracts awarded at INR 8K to 10K per meter. With the launch of this product, Oakter reinforces its commitment to revolutionizing the consumer electronics space, offering a diverse range of products tailored for the Indian market.
MAM
Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $81 billion deal
Shareholders back merger, combined entity could reshape streaming and studios.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… consolidation, Hollywood’s latest blockbuster might be happening off-screen. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have voted in favour of selling the company to Paramount in a deal valued at $81 billion rising to nearly $111 billion including debt setting the stage for one of the biggest shake-ups in modern media. The proposed merger, still subject to regulatory approvals, would bring together a vast portfolio spanning HBO Max, CNN, and franchises such as Harry Potter under the same umbrella as Paramount’s own heavyweights, including Top Gun and CBS.
At the heart of the deal is streaming scale. Executives have indicated plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single platform, potentially creating a stronger challenger to giants like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Current market data suggests HBO Max holds around 12 per cent of US on-demand subscriptions, compared to Paramount+’s 3 per cent, together still trailing Netflix’s 19 per cent and Disney’s combined 27 per cent via Disney+ and Hulu.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has signalled that while platforms may merge, HBO’s creative identity will remain intact, stating the brand should “stay HBO” even within a broader ecosystem.
Beyond streaming, the deal would redraw the map for film production. Combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the new entity aims to scale output to over 30 films annually, while maintaining a 45-day theatrical window. Warner Bros. currently commands around 21 per cent of the US box office, compared to Paramount’s 6 per cent, underscoring the strategic weight of the acquisition.
But scale comes with scrutiny. Critics warn that fewer players could mean reduced consumer choice, rising subscription costs, and potential job cuts as the combined company looks to streamline overlapping operations while managing billions in debt.
The news business, too, faces a reset. CNN would join forces at least structurally with Paramount-owned CBS, raising questions about editorial independence and positioning. The merger has already drawn political attention in the United States, particularly given perceived ties between the Ellison family and Donald Trump, though the company maintains that newsroom autonomy will be preserved.
If approved, the deal would mark another milestone in Hollywood’s consolidation wave shrinking the industry’s traditional “big six” studios to a “big four”, with Paramount joining Disney, Universal, and Sony at the top table.
In an industry built on storytelling, this merger may well become its most consequential plot twist yet.
