Bhubaneswar: Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s leading telecommunications services provider, today
announced the launch of the “Always On” IoT connectivity solution in India. Airtel’s “Always On”
solution comprises dual profile M2M eSim which allows an IOT device to always stay connected to a
mobile network from different Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in the eSIM.
The Airtel ‘Always On’ solution complies with the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI)’s AIS-
140 standard implemented by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). It lays down
mandatory requirements related to connectivity and GPS tracking capabilities for devices in all
passenger-carrying buses, private fleets and other public transport vehicles for tracking, safety and
security purposes.
As per law, all registered buses and taxis have to mandatorily install this device. The Government of
India recently made it mandatory for vehicles carrying hazardous goods also to have a tracker installed
that complies with AIS-140 standards. In addition to these, there are emergency vehicles such as
ambulances, vehicles from the mining and construction industry working in remote locations and other
mission-critical and intelligent communication use cases which need higher availability and reliability of
the network.
With Airtel’s future-ready, GSMA-compliant platform, flexible API-based eSim lifecycle management on
feature-rich Airtel IoT Hub and full compliance with Department of Telecom (DoT) M2M guidelines.
Airtel is looking to acquire market leadership in this segment in the next few years.
Speaking about the launch of the “Always On” AIS-140 Connectivity solution, Mr Ajay Chitkara, Director
and CEO, of Airtel Business said, “We are delighted to bring Always on connectivity solution to our
customers. We believe this is the next big opportunity in the IoT segment. Our strengths in the network,
modern and GSMA compliant platform offering real-time access to data and flexibility to integrate the
solution with custom APIs will make Airtel Business stand out in the market.”
