Harmeet Mehta, global CIO of Bharti Airtel imposed the idea of forming alliances with telcos, industries and start-ups to drive the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem in India. She also said that the next 24 months are crucial for defining the scope in the country.
Mehta, who has been recently appointed as co-chair of IoT committee, IAMAI, told Economics Times that all the stakeholders and the government has to come together and demystify the IoT space.
“In India, we never had any bigger alliances the way global telcos and technology players have in place around IoT. We don’t have standardization when it comes to networks and devices,” she said. “IoT happens in different layers. You need device management, device diagnostics analytics, and solutions that are focused on different industries, besides the connectivity,” she added.
Mehta also indicated that the smart cities are going to be a focus for the IoT market along with the sectors like energy, healthcare, agriculture and automotive. Indian Government is trying to implement smart city concept through its project under which 100 cities will be developed. The Government is aiming to create a $15 billion IoT industry in India by 2020.
Mehta also suggested the importance of 5G technology in the growth of IoT market by saying, “Whether it’s autonomous car or remote surgery, a lot of these things wouldn’t be possible without a 5G network in India.