Cisco and Tata Communications team up to advance eSIM and IoT connectivity

Tata Communications and Cisco have announced a strategic collaboration aimed at simplifying global IoT connectivity through eSIM technology. The partnership brings together Tata Communications’ MOVE platform with Cisco’s IoT Control Centre to help enterprises scale their connected device operations with greater agility, visibility, and cost efficiency.

Managing large fleets of IoT devices, from vehicles to industrial sensors, remains a challenge for businesses due to fragmented SIM hardware, complex provisioning, and interoperability issues. By embedding MOVE’s global eSIM orchestration solution into Cisco’s widely adopted IoT platform, enterprises will be able to activate and manage devices seamlessly across multiple networks, SIM providers, and eSIM standards.

The joint offering promises enterprises:

• A unified approach to device activation and lifecycle management across 200+ countries.

• Faster rollouts through simplified provisioning.

• Centralised visibility and control of IoT deployments.

• Reduced integration hurdles and avoided vendor lock-in.

Marco Bijvelds, Vice President and Global Head of Tata Communications MOVE, said the collaboration will “empower global businesses to unlock new opportunities, streamline operations, and accelerate digital transformation.” Cisco’s Masum Mir, SVP and GM, Provider Mobility, emphasised that eSIM will be “a foundational technology” in supporting complex use cases like connected vehicles.

The alliance is expected to particularly benefit industries such as transportation, logistics, and manufacturing, where seamless, cross-border and cross-network IoT connectivity is critical. For example, logistics operators could instantly activate trailers as they cross borders without replacing SIM cards, while utilities could monitor infrastructure across private and public networks without device reconfiguration.

By combining Cisco’s scale, supporting over 270 million SIM IoT devices, including 100 million connected cars, with Tata Communications’ reach in 200+ countries and 350 million eSIM OS deployments, the companies aim to set a new benchmark for enterprise IoT services.

The collaboration underscores the growing role of eSIM in reshaping enterprise mobility and connected ecosystems, enabling organisations to scale securely and efficiently while accelerating innovation and new revenue opportunities.