Enterprise Connectivity Segment Witnesses Airtel as IoT's Market Leader

Bharti Airtel, India's premier communications solutions provider, has become the market leader in India's fast-growing Enterprise IoT segment, as per Frost & Sullivan.

"Internet of things (IoT) technology is enabling enterprises to become intelligent and data-driven. With the key partnerships, innovative IoT platforms, and consultative approach, IoT providers are helping enterprises to adopt IoT solutions. The Indian IoT market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.8 per cent moving from CY 2020 TO CY 2023," Frost & Sullivan Consultant, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Practice, Abhinav Kumar said.

As per Frost & Sullivan's latest Enterprise Mobile Services Report Q4 FY 2020-21 (January-March 2021), Airtel is the market leader in the Cellular IoT space holding a 45.5 per cent market share, he said.

Airtel IoT is an end-to-end platform with the capability to connect and manage billions of devices and applications in a highly secure and seamless fashion.

At its core is Airtel's 5G Ready network that comes with the option to deploy NB-IoT, 4G or 2G connectivity using Airtel e-SIM technology. It also has a flexible set of APIs which allows enterprises to streamline the process of connecting, collecting, and analysing data through their existing workflow tools with the guarantee of Airtel's telco grade security.

With accelerated adoption of IoT ecosystem in daily business operations, Airtel Business has successfully developed industry specific use cases to address customer's pain points and drive business value, he said, adding it has created significant strategic differentiation from competitors in the IoT market.

Airtel IoT currently supports over 6 million managed IoT connections, including a range of vertical specific solutions like industrial asset monitoring, smart metering and vehicle telematics with an innovative approach to building IoT solutions.

Airtel Business leverages its pan-India network to provide customers with IoT connectivity irrespective of their size, industry, or location.

MG Motor, Pine Labs, Paytm, Kirloskar, BSES, Genus, Kent, Black Buck, Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Ltd, and Odisha Power Transmission Company are among the enterprises that are already using Airtel's IoT solutions.

Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation, in a statement, said: "Digital transformation is a key focus area for us. The implementation of smart metering infrastructure in the state is a major milestone in this journey. We needed a partner with strong capabilities and deep expertise in the space of IoT and smart utilities and Airtel ticked all the boxes for us."

Airtel Business Director & CEO Ajay Chitkara said: "Airtel IoT is built to massively simplify the IoT journeys of emerging enterprises. We continue to invest in our platforms by enabling technologies that are central to the functioning of the Internet of Things, including our 5G network. The findings of Frost & Sullivan are yet another endorsement of our relentless focus on innovation in the IoT segment."

The report further said that Airtel Business continues to be the undisputed leader in the Enterprise Mobility space with the highest overall RMS of 43.3 per cent. Airtel Business is used by over 2,500 large and over one million emerging enterprises across India, offering an integrated suite of solutions ranging from connectivity to cloud, security, conferencing, IoT and Ad Tech.