Reliance Group takes on IoT to help Digital India UNLIMIT its potential

The Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group has decided to enter the IoT fray with its on spin on the wave - UNLIMIT, an independent IoT venture aimed at augmenting Indian enterprises by helping them make the transformation to digital smoother.

"The outlook for IoT services in India is virtually UNLIMITed, with the number of connected devices projected to rise from 200 million today to around three billion by 2020, and revenues set to increase from $5.6 billion today to $15 billion in 2020. It is this business opportunity that we are targeting with UNLIMIT. The key to unlocking the real potential of IoT is to be focused and dedicated," Amitabh Jhujhunwala, GMD, Reliance Group, said in a statement.

Reliance Group has come together with Cisco Jasper for the inception and operation of this venture. With this, Reliance becomes the first telco in India to have an independent IoT unit. As they join forces, the former will bring in their expertise and infrastructure in mobile networks and cloud, with the latter, in IoT management services, to provide a full suite of solutions for smart city initiatives throughout India.

"Reliable connectivity and the ability to easily manage the multitude of connected services involved in smart cities are two key requirements to ensure the success of the Digital India initiative," Reliance Group said to Business Standard.

While not much information has been shared at this point, the venture seems intent on playing a pivotal role in India's paradigm shift towards digital.

"IoT is a critical enabler for India's growth. We are delighted to partner with Cisco Jasper to strengthen the market position of UNLIMIT significantly," Juergen Hase, CEO, UNLIMIT, said at the launch.

With Cisco's 30 country-strong network, businesses in India can expand their IoT services to new countries. And in turn, international companies using the Cisco Jasper platform will also be able to expand their connected services into India on Reliance's network.

"UNLIMIT makes it simple for companies to deliver connected services throughout India," the statement said.