Safaricom Uses AI and IoT to Cut Base Station Fuel Waste

In Short

Safaricom is rolling out an IoT-based fuel monitoring system across its mobile base stations. The company says AI now helps predict fuel use and flag unusual consumption.

What Happened

Safaricom says it is using AI and IoT to manage power consumption at more than 6,500 base transmission stations.

These sites need constant electricity to keep mobile coverage and data services running. When grid power fails, base stations switch to backup generators, which require fuel deliveries and regular checks.

Safaricom says this work used to be mostly manual. Engineers had to visit sites, measure fuel levels with dipsticks, verify refills, record generator run hours, calculate consumption per hour, and submit reports.

The company has now fitted generators with fuel sensors that capture fuel levels and run-hour data. A Teltonika transmitter then sends the data over IoT connectivity, meaning internet-connected devices sharing telemetry data, to dashboards in control rooms.

Safaricom says AI uses these live data feeds to estimate expected fuel consumption for each site. If a site deviates from the expected pattern, teams get alerts, which helps them act before the issue becomes an outage or a cost spike.

According to the company, the system provides near real-time visibility into refills with about 99% accuracy. It says this has reduced fuel theft, under-deliveries, and emergency refills. It can also help catch “dirty fuel” incidents early, which can damage generators.

The base station fuel management system started in 2024 as a proof of concept across 10 sites. Safaricom says it has since expanded to more than 1,100 sites, with a wider rollout planned.

Why It Matters

For African telecom operators, diesel and generator maintenance are major operating costs, especially in areas with unreliable grid power.

More accurate fuel monitoring can reduce losses and improve uptime. It also turns generator operations into a data problem, making it easier to plan refills, schedule maintenance, and detect anomalies without relying on field reports alone.