Tata & Cisco team up to bring global eSIM IoT management to enterprises

Tata Communications and Cisco have announced a collaboration to offer an integrated eSIM and IoT management solution targeted at enterprises operating across multiple markets.

This combined solution involves embedding Tata Communications' global eSIM platform into Cisco's IoT Control Centre, a device management platform that currently manages more than 270 million connected devices worldwide, including 100 million connected cars. The aim is to help organisations activate and manage devices in different countries without the need to physically swap SIM cards, providing a unified view of all connected equipment and addressing challenges related to complex integrations and vendor lock-ins.

Business needs

The growing trend of cross-border business activity, including initiatives such as the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, has placed greater emphasis on the need for seamless and efficient management of devices and operations across regions. Industries such as transportation, logistics and manufacturing, in particular, face hurdles such as fragmented SIM hardware, multiple vendor relationships, and complicated device provisioning when expanding their IoT operations internationally.

This collaboration seeks to address these issues by embedding Tata Communications MOVE - an intelligent, multi-generational, global eSIM orchestration solution supporting over 350 million eSIM operating systems across 200 countries and territories - directly into Cisco's platform, which over 32,000 enterprises use.

Enterprise benefits

According to Tata Communications and Cisco, businesses will benefit from the ability to activate and manage devices across SIM providers, both private and public networks, and various eSIM standards. This is expected to accelerate time-to-market with a unified connectivity experience, enhance visibility across IoT deployments, and reduce integration efforts by avoiding vendor lock-in.

The expected results include more efficient and scalable worldwide IoT rollouts for enterprises facing increasing pressure to manage complex, global device fleets.

Industry impact

Marco Bijvelds, Vice President and Global Head of Tata Communications MOVE, highlighted the continued evolution of eSIM technologies and their potential to change enterprise connectivity and management of IoT devices.

"The continuous evolution of eSIM technologies is generating a transformative shift in the way enterprises connect and manage their IoT devices. The unmatched power of Tata Communications' intelligent IoT fabric and Cisco's proven device management platform will empower global businesses to unlock new opportunities, streamline operations, and accelerate digital transformation. We are excited to create a foundation for the future of connected enterprises – where they can scale faster, smarter, and with more confidence."

Industries mentioned as benefiting from this partnership include those with operations across borders, such as a trucking firm looking to activate trailers in different countries without changing local SIM cards, or a utilities company monitoring equipment on a mix of public and private networks without reconfiguring devices.

Cisco's perspective

Masum Mir, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco Provider Mobility, described the partnership as an opportunity to enable greater simplicity and scalability for enterprise customers, particularly across the lifecycle of connected vehicles.

"Together, Cisco and Tata Communications are enabling innovation and opening up new opportunities through our joint work on eSIM technology. As enterprises need greater simplicity, automation and scalability to effectively manage increasingly complex use cases, we see eSIM as a foundational technology. Tata Communications' proven track record as a great Cisco partner made them a logical choice as we advance our vision for mobility services, particularly in managing connected vehicles over the full lifecycle – from manufacturing, to the dealership, to the road."

Strategic goals

The collaboration is designed to set a new benchmark in the IoT industry by underpinning interoperability, scalability and lifecycle intelligence as core features. Tata Communications and Cisco stated they aim to support enterprises worldwide as they pursue innovation, look to unlock new revenue streams, and optimise connected operations to support seamless interactions between people, spaces and things.