Bharti Airtel forays into $1 billion Indian cloud communications market with Airtel IQ

Billionaire Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Airtel on Monday said it has entered into the fast-growing cloud communications market with the launch of Airtel IQ today. Airtel IQ is a cloud-based omni-channel communications platform which enables brands to deepen engagement with customers through timely and secure communication. Many of India's big brands such as Swiggy, Justdial, Urban Company, Havells, Dr. Lal Path Labs and Rapido have signed up as customers for Airtel IQ during the beta phase.

"A true game changer in the Indian enterprise communication segment, Airtel IQ eliminates the need for multiple communication platforms for different channels. With just a slice of code, businesses can embed communication services such as Voice, SMS, IVR in their applications and digital properties across desktop and mobile, all through a unified platform," Bharti Airtel said in a filing to the BSE.

Citing an example of a customer ordering food through an online platform and calling the delivery agent to find out the status of order, the telecom major said that the entire communication is orchestrated seamlessly and securely over Airtel IQ. The communication is encrypted and all mobile numbers are masked, it said.

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"Airtel IQ has been fully developed by Airtel's in-house engineering teams and highlights the company's growing digital prowess to deliver world-class solutions. Natively integrated into telco grade infrastructure and architected by top digital talent, Airtel IQ is robust, secure, cost-efficient and intuitive," it said.

Commenting on Airtel's latest innovation, Vivek Sunder, COO, Swiggy, said, "Seamless and secure communication between our customers, delivery partners and partner restaurants is key to our service enablement. With Airtel IQ, we have been able to deliver seamless and highly intuitive communication between all parties across our platform in a privacy contained and simplified fashion."

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Adarsh Nair, Chief Product Officer, Bharti Airtel, said, "At Airtel, we are obsessed with solving customer problems and Airtel IQ is first amongst several game changing products that we will be bringing to the market. Businesses are increasingly looking to cloud-based digital platforms to engage with consumers and Airtel IQ is built to raise the bar when it comes to brands delighting consumers. So, the next time you enjoy shopping online, ordering food from your favourite restaurant or hailing a ride, remember there's a bit of Airtel IQ in there making it happen seamlessly and safely."

The Indian cloud communications market, estimated to be worth $1 billion, is growing close to 20 per cent annually. Airtel claims to be the country's largest player in the B2B connectivity space and serves over one million businesses with an integrated portfolio that includes connectivity, cloud, security and collaboration and data centre solutions. The company is uniquely positioned to capture this large emerging opportunity and be a leading player in this segment, it added.

By Chitranjan Kumar