Kia India signs up Bharti Airtel’s enterprise arm to enable connected cars

Oct 16, 2024

Airtel will ensure complete data privacy and safety for the connected vehicles, while also simplifying and automating operations across all stages of vehicle production and management.
Premium carmaker Kia India has partnered with Airtel Business, the enterprise arm of Bharti Airtel, to enable connectivity services in its vehicles via the Kia Connect 2.0 platform.

Via the Kia Connect 2.0 platform, Kia India is focusing on vehicle management, artificial intelligence (AI) voice command, convenience, remote control, safety and security and navigation, Airtel Business said on Tuesday.

Airtel’s nationwide network will power all connected car variants of Kia with reliable and secure real-time connectivity, enabling uninterrupted transfer of critical data, as per the statement.

“As part of our 2.0 transition, we are introducing the OTA (Over-the-Air) Kia Connect Diagnostics, unlocking the possibilities of Software-Defined Vehicles where IoT technology becomes fundamental to our offerings,” said Hardeep Singh Brar, Senior Vice President (VP) and Head of Sales and Marketing, Kia India

“We are excited to partner with Airtel Business whose future-ready solutions will seamlessly integrate with our vehicles, ensuring robust data security and privacy,” Brar said.

“We are thrilled to power the journey of Kia’s connected cars with our future-ready technology solution that offers efficient and effective capabilities. We are committed to playing a significant role in India’s digital growth with our cutting-edge integrated IoT Hub that offers customised solutions for the unique IoT requirements of enterprises across 5G, 4G, NB-IoT, 2G and satellite,” said Sharat Sinha, CEO ̶ Airtel Business.

Powered with Airtel’s Internet of Things (IoT) platform, ‘Airtel IoT Hub’ enables advanced analytics and real-time insights. The telco’s advanced IoT solutions for connected vehicles will cover both internal combustion engine (ICE) models and electric vehicles (EVs).

Airtel will ensure complete data privacy and safety for the connected vehicles, while also simplifying and automating operations across all stages of vehicle production and management.

Currently, the Airtel IoT platform powers over 33 million IoT devices across the country and caters to nearly 55% of the IoT connectivity market in India. The company enables enterprises across industries such as automobile, energy, utilities, logistics, financial services, manufacturing and many more.