Exclusive Interview: Sameer Mahapatra, Country Manager and VP Sales, Aeris Communications

In an exclusive interview with DQ Channels, Sameer Mahapatra, Country Manager, and VP Sales, Aeris Communications shared his journey with Aeris and the company’s initiatives towards different industries.

Briefly explain about your company and what kind of solution portfolio does it have?

Aeris Communications is an end-to-end IoT solution provider for different industries. We have a joint venture with Softbank in Japan for connected vehicles and IoT solutions.  We are working with enterprises like Telecom, Utilities, Manufacturing, Automotive, Insurance and Finance, Agriculture, and provide them with specific IoT solutions and services.

We are among the few global providers of end-to-end IoT solutions and services. With the Aeris Mobility Platform (AMP), enterprises can manage all IoT devices' connected features. And, with the Aeris Connectivity Platform, they gain real-time reporting and tools that give insight into the status of entire IoT/ M2M deployment. All the solutions are built specifically for IoT technologies and globally tested at scale. Our IoT Services platform provides in-depth visibility into devices, assets, or sensors, regardless of time or location. This comprehensive IoT solutions portfolio is geared to enhance revenue, create new services and business models, and provide distinct market differentiation. The robust, scalable, and innovative IoT platform from Aeris and the diverse portfolio of IoT solutions and services, has served as the cornerstone for various IoT projects, both commercial and social, across multiple industries and geographies.

What steps have you taken to maintain business continuity during Covid-19?

According to WHO guidelines, we adhered to social distancing norms to control the virus because, at Aeris, we keep everyone's well-being on priority and serve our partners, clients, and associates. We have adopted various measures before initiating work from home for our employees, we successfully tested and executed the department wise Business Continuity Plan for uninterrupted services from Aeris to our customers. Our global network operating centres are operational 24×7. There is a lot of critical customers and services that we service like Pune Police, who are working towards maintaining law and order situation and responding to emergencies. Serving them with uninterrupted services is helping our nation during the crisis. Our employees are spearheading various humanitarian initiatives and contributing towards the society in individual capacities. Recently Aeris also extended support to 5 NGOs worldwide out of which two were from India under the Aeris Charities initiative.

What are the benefits you encountered post the deployment of your solution in the e-scooter by BattRE? What are the plans with your customer?

 Aeris solution in the electric scooter boasts a host of smart features on its telematics platform. Due to IoT driven technology, the owner and the riders get the live location of the vehicle through GPS. They also get information about driving behaviour and trip reports. There are other features, like - remote immobilization, geofencing, secure parking, etc. Owners can set a speed lock that sends an alert to the connected smartphone whenever the prescribed speed limit crossed. The customers can get live updates of their scooters and gives them a complete e-mobility experience.  The entire transformation of the bike into a connected bike is what we complete.

What would be India’s standpoint in terms of EV by 2025?

A report by Frost and Sullivan on EVs, suggest that specially e-rickshaws, e-autos, and e-two wheelers, will flourish in India and are predicted to account for over four million units in 2025. According to industry experts, the electric vehicle market will recover rapidly from the coronavirus pandemic as compared to others. The country is getting ready for the concept of EV adoption in India. Based on the NITI Aayog report, India could save 64% of energy demand for road transport and 37% of carbon emissions by 2030 by pursuing a shared, electric, and connected mobility future.

 How are technologies like 5G and AI playing an important role in defining IoT in a better manner?

 The coronavirus pandemic brought an essential shift in industries because the implementation of IoT is no longer just an option. The global health crisis became a reason for faster technology adoption, especially IoT-based solutions allowing distant advantage monitoring and control across industries. With 5G, the world will see a further flow in connected devices. IoT and 5G technologies together have powered billions of additional devices with the web. These technologies are taking over different industry sectors like education, healthcare, automobile, smart cities, and many more. The union of IoT and 5G have an essential role to play in the healthcare industry. These technologies can help in the increased use of telemedicine. Arranging telecom infrastructure in rural areas to increase the reach of registered medical professionals is more accessible than making specialists physically. IoT promises strong value propositions for the government, businesses, and citizens, alike.