Connecting a Smarter Nation with Next Generation Energy and Data Cables
Anurag Agarwal, is a seasoned leader with 28+ years of experience across B2B, B2G, and B2C sectors. He has a strong track record in driving growth, launching new business models, and leading international expansion while consistently delivering on P&L goals.
In a recent interaction with Priyanka R, Copywriter at siliconindia, Anurag, shared his insight on ‘Connecting a Smarter Nation with Next Generation Energy and Data Cables’.
India’s smart city and digital infrastructure ambitions are not just reshaping urban landscapes; they’re redefining the very backbone of connectivity. At the heart of this transformation lies the cable industry, which must evolve from being a supplier of commodities to a strategic enabler of intelligent ecosystems.
The dual demand for robust power transmission and high-speed data connectivity calls for a convergence of electrical and digital capabilities. This means cables today must not only carry current but also carry intelligence.
From an industry standpoint, the evolution hinges on three key pillars:
Technology Integration: The future lies in hybrid cable solutions that combine power and data transmission in a single architecture. Whether it’s powering IoT-enabled street lighting or supporting fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployments, cables must be engineered for versatility, bandwidth, and resilience.
Sustainability and Safety: As cities become denser and more digitized, fire safety, low smoke emissions, and halogen-free materials are no longer optional; they’re imperative. The industry must invest in flame-retardant, low-smoke, and zero-halogen cables that meet global standards like CPR, UL, and BASEC.
Smart Manufacturing and R&D: To meet the scale and complexity of smart city deployments, manufacturers must embrace automation, backward integration, and data-driven production. Moreover, the cable industry must align with India’s broader digital goals by producing high-performance optical fiber cables and LAN solutions that support ultra-low latency and high throughput.
Modern cables are no longer passive conduits. Innovations like self-healing insulation and high-temperature low-sag (HTLS) conductors are enhancing fire resistance and operational reliability.
Reinventing Cables with Intelligence and Efficiency
In the age of smart cities, renewable energy, and digital transformation, the role of cables has evolved far beyond basic connectivity. Today’s cables are intelligent, efficient, and resilient engineered to meet the demands of modern infrastructure while supporting India’s sustainability goals. From self-healing insulation to real-time fault detection, these innovations are quietly revolutionizing how power and data flow through our cities and industries.
Safety First, Smarter Protection Built In: Modern cables are no longer passive conduits. Innovations like self-healing insulation and high-temperature low-sag (HTLS) conductors are enhancing fire resistance and operational reliability. These cables can withstand extreme conditions, reducing the risk of outages and hazards in high-load environments.
Efficiency by Design: Energy-efficient cables now feature low-resistance conductors and bio-based insulation materials, minimizing transmission losses and environmental impact. These advancements are crucial for integrating renewable energy sources into urban grids and industrial setups, supporting India’s net-zero ambitions.
Real-Time Monitoring: Intelligence in Every Strand: Cables embedded with fiber-optic sensors enable real-time monitoring of temperature, strain, and vibrations. Technologies like Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) and AI-powered fault detection systems allow operators to predict failures before they happen ensuring uptime, safety, and cost savings.
Building Smarter Cables for the Tech-Driven Industrial Era
To align with intelligent factories and interconnected supply chains, cable manufacturers must integrate automation, AI, and IIoT across production and design.
Smart Production: Equip machinery with sensors for real-time monitoring and AI-driven process optimization. Use robotics for repetitive tasks and machine vision for defect detection. Digital twins simulate production lines, enabling predictive maintenance and energy efficiency.
Product Design: Embed digital traceability (QR codes, batch IDs) into cables. Use AI to simulate new materials and support modular designs for flexible, small-batch manufacturing.
Supply Chain Integration: Connect suppliers, logistics, and inventory via cloud platforms and IIoT for real-time visibility. Digital twins extend to the supply network, enabling dynamic planning. AI enhances demand forecasting and inventory control. Cybersecurity safeguards interconnected systems.
Benefits: These transformations improve efficiency, flexibility, traceability, and sustainability. Manufacturers gain agility to meet custom demands, reduce downtime, and respond to disruptions swiftly.
By embracing Industry 4.0 technologies, cable manufacturers can evolve into smart, resilient, and innovation-driven enterprises.
Policies to Power India’s Next-Gen Connectivity
As India advances toward a digitally connected and carbon-conscious future, the backbone of this transformation lies in its cable infrastructure. From powering smart cities to enabling renewable energy grids, next-generation cables must meet global safety standards, support innovation, and align with climate goals. To ensure long-term resilience and sustainability, a focused strategy is essential one that integrates policy, technology, and collaboration.
Enforce Global Safety Standards: Mandate CPR, ROHS, REACH, and IEC standards for all cables used in smart cities and renewable energy projects to ensure fire safety, environmental compliance, and global interoperability.
Boost Innovation in Materials: Encourage R&D in recyclable and energy-efficient cable materials through targeted incentives, fostering sustainable manufacturing and long-term durability.
Enable Smart Grid Expansion via PPPs: Promote public-private partnerships to deploy smart grid-ready cables, including HVDC and fiber-optic systems, supporting urban efficiency and digital transformation.
Align with Climate Goals: Integrate cable infrastructure into India’s climate roadmap to unlock carbon credits, attract international funding, and support clean energy exports.
Also Read: How Emerging Tech and India's GCCs Are Redefining Automotive Retail
Sustainable Cables Paving the Way for a Greener Future
Industry needs to embed sustainability deeply into its product design, manufacturing, and supply chain strategies, transforming how cables are made, used, and recycled across industrial and urban applications. Manufacturers are focusing on recycled materials, recycled copper, polyethylene, and PVC for achieving reduction in manufacturing emissions compared to virgin alternatives and aligning with EU Ecolabel standards and assesses recyclability, recycled content, carbon footprint, and end-of-life circularity.
Firms like Polycab green wires are manufactured using non-toxic, lead-free, halogen-free compounds, fully compliant with RoHS and REACH standards. These cables are designed to reduce fire hazards, minimize smoke emissions, enable safer installations across residential, commercial, and industrial environments. The company’s DSIR-certified R&D center is actively developing low-smoke zero halogen (LSZH) and flame-retardant compounds, supported by Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) to reduce environmental impact from cradle to gate.
Additionally, advancing circularity through corrugated steel drums replacing wooden cable drums i.e, recyclable, durable, and resource-efficient can proves useful. Even, zero liquid discharge at key facilities and 70 percent recovery of industrial wastewater is effective. Moreover, manufacturing facilities can be increasingly automated and digitized, integrating AI, IoT, and real-time analytics for monitoring energy, water, and waste.
In essence, the cable industry is undergoing a significant transformation driven by sustainability goals. From sourcing greener materials to redesigning products for recyclability and optimizing energy use in manufacturing, every stage of the cable lifecycle is being reimagined. These efforts not only reduce environmental impact but also align with global climate targets and consumer expectations for responsible production.
