Indian telco Bharti Airtel has introduced always-on IoT connectivity comprising dual profile M2M e-sims that let an IoT device always stay connected to a mobile network from different operators.

The technology complies with the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI)’s AIS-140 standard implemented by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH). This 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.

As per law, all registered buses and taxis have to install this device mandatorily. The Indian government 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 GSMA-compliant platform, flexible API-based e-sim lifecycle management on its IoT hub and compliance with Department of Telecom (DoT) M2M guidelines, Airtel says it is looking to acquire market leadership in this segment in the next few years.

“We are delighted to bring always-on connectivity to our customers,” said Ajay Chitkara, CEO of Airtel Business. “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 with custom APIs will make Airtel Business stand out in the market.”

The AIS140 has already been tested and adopted by some of companies including Lumax ITuran, Loconav and e-Trans. Lumax ITuran Telematics offers telematics products and services to the Indian automotive industry. LocoNav is a fleet-technology company with over five million vehicles on the road in more than 50 countries. While e-Trans provides vehicle tracking with a pan-India network.

Headquartered in India, Airtel has more than 490m customers in 17 countries across south Asia and Africa. It is India’s largest integrated communications provider and the second-largest mobile operator in Africa.