IoT connectivity: why collaboration will drive India’s success

Sachin Arora is a veteran of India’s telecom and connectivity ecosystem, currently serving as Head of Connectivity & IoT at Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), India. With over two decades of experience spanning strategy, operations, R&D, and business transformation, he leads G+D’s efforts in eSIM and iSIM adoption, secure IoT stacks, and cross-industry deployment.

In a conversation with Pratima Harigunani of Voice&Data, he unpacks the key hurdles and opportunities in India’s IoT connectivity journey—from regulatory friction and fragmentation to latency and security trade-offs—and offers a side-by-side comparison of emerging telco technologies. This candid exchange reveals where operators must invest, adapt and innovate to win in the connected future. Excerpts:

What is new for Indian telecom operators in the IoT connectivity market, particularly in sectors like manufacturing?

India’s convergence of 5G, the Internet of Things (IoT), and embedded SIM (eSIM) or integrated SIM (iSIM) technologies is opening up enormous opportunities for telecom operators. In manufacturing, operators can enable smart factories through real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and robotics-driven automation.

In logistics, IoT supports asset tracking, fleet management, and supply chain optimisation, while eSIM-enabled devices simplify deployment and remote management.

What is happening in verticals like logistics, automotive, and utilities?

The automotive sector is rapidly moving toward connected vehicles, with operators powering telematics, diagnostics, and secure over-the-air updates. In utilities, IoT is transforming grids, water systems, and metering through secure, reliable two-way connectivity and large-scale device rollouts.

Across all these sectors, telcos that invest in scalable, secure, and standards-compliant IoT platforms will be best positioned to lead.

What should Indian telcos do—and do differently—now?

To fully capitalise on the immense potential of IoT connectivity in India, telecom operators must go beyond traditional roles and invest strategically across infrastructure, platforms, and partnerships.

On the infrastructure side, telcos need to accelerate the rollout of next-generation networks such as 5G, NB-IoT, and edge computing, supported by scalable fibre backhaul, small cells, and cloud-native platforms. This will ensure reliable, low-latency, and wide-area coverage, essential to supporting millions of connected devices across sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, utilities, and automotive.

Equally important is the partner ecosystem. Telcos must collaborate with technology vendors, device makers, cloud providers, and system integrators to deliver end-to-end IoT solutions that combine connectivity with device management, analytics, and security.

By building comprehensive IoT platforms with services such as predictive maintenance, smart asset tracking, and remote monitoring, operators can unlock new revenue streams while meeting sector-specific enterprise needs.

The future of IoT in India will depend on automation, secure SIM lifecycle management, and closer collaboration across the connectivity ecosystem.

What could play the party-popper—any major challenges that could hinder Indian telcos as they move forward to tap IoT as a business stream?

Telcos in India face regulatory, technological, and operational hurdles as they scale IoT connectivity due to market fragmentation. The regulatory landscape is still evolving, with fragmented policies around spectrum, data privacy, SIM management, and data residency.

Greater engagement with regulators is needed to establish consistent, practical frameworks that balance growth with user protection. Technologically, interoperability across diverse devices, integration with legacy systems, and ensuring robust security remain major challenges.

Providing wide-area, reliable, and low-latency coverage, particularly in remote or industrial areas, also demands significant infrastructure investment. The way forward lies in end-to-end stacks automation, remote SIM life cycle management through eSIM and iSIM platforms, GSM Association or GSMA certified frameworks like SGP.32. At G+D, we believe collaboration, innovation, and strategic investment will enable Indian telcos to overcome these barriers and unlock the transformative potential of IoT across industries.

How is secure IoT connectivity shaping automation and efficiency in the Indian manufacturing sector?

Secure IoT connectivity is significantly transforming automation and efficiency in the Indian manufacturing sector by enabling real-time data exchange, facilitating predictive maintenance, and minimising downtime. It allows seamless machine-to-machine communication, which is essential for the development of smart factories and intelligent industrial operations. Robust security measures play a critical role in building trust in automated processes and protecting valuable intellectual property.

When choosing between spectrum-based and fibre-based connectivity for industrial IoT, what factors—such as scalability, latency, and security—should enterprises consider?

Enterprises should carefully assess scalability, latency, and security when deciding between spectrum-based and fibre-based connectivity.

Spectrum-based solutions such as 4G and 5G private networks offer greater flexibility, especially for mobile or remote devices across a manufacturing site. In contrast, fibre connectivity is ideal for fixed locations requiring high bandwidth and consistent performance, such as core factory operations.

From a latency perspective, fibre provides ultra-low delay and exceptional reliability, making it well-suited for mission-critical workloads. Spectrum-based connectivity, particularly 5G, also delivers near-real-time responsiveness, though minimal wireless overhead may slightly increase latency.

What about the security?

Fibre offers strong physical security due to its wired nature, but remains vulnerable to physical damage, such as accidental cuts. Spectrum-based connectivity relies on advanced encryption protocols and SIM-based authentication mechanisms to mitigate risks related to wireless interception or unauthorised access. Each option presents distinct advantages, and enterprises should choose based on operational needs, balancing mobility, performance, and security requirements.

How crucial and manageable is the security aspect of IoT infrastructure?

Secure onboarding is critical and can be achieved through hardware-based authentication methods such as IoT SIMs, eSIMs, and secure elements to verify device identity from the start. Protecting data requires implementing end-to-end encryption, Virtual Private Network or VPN tunnels, and secure APIs to safeguard information in transit and at rest.

Effective device management involves continuous monitoring, timely firmware updates, and regular patching to proactively address vulnerabilities. Additionally, robust lifecycle control platforms are essential to manage key functions such as device provisioning, remote updates, suspension, and secure decommissioning—preventing potential security gaps throughout the device’s operational life.

By integrating technologies like eSIM, In-Factory Profile Provisioning, and iSIM, organisations can build secure, scalable, and cost-efficient IoT infrastructure that supports devices from deployment through decommissioning. 

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