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TOKYO — NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc. (formerly NTT Communications Corporation; Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Katsushige Kojima; “NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS”) and Airlinq Inc. (Headquarters: California, USA; CEO: Sunil Kaul; “Airlinq”), a global provider of AIoT solutions and Autonomous Connectivity Management Platform (CMP)1, have entered into a strategic partnership to expand the delivery of global IoT-connected solutions across markets with diverse and country-specific telecommunications regulatory requirements2.
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1. Background
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Global deployment of IoT-enabled devices and services continues to accelerate, particularly across mobility industries such as automotive and construction machinery. As connected services—including connected vehicles3—expand across borders, enterprises increasingly require reliable connectivity and consistent operational models worldwide.
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At the same time, telecommunications regulations and licensing frameworks differ by country and region. In some markets, long-term roaming usage such as permanent roaming or other types of permanent service delivery by foreign operators without local licenses may be constrained, creating challenges for global IoT rollouts.
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Addressing these challenges often requires technical and legal coordination with multiple stakeholders—including local carriers and relevant authorities—adding operational complexity for enterprises expanding internationally.
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Against this backdrop, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, with proven experience delivering global IoT services in the mobility sector, and Airlinq, with deep expertise and an ecosystem of platform with local carriers across diverse regulatory environments, have formed the strategic partnership to enable stable, compliant, and scalable IoT services globally.
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2. Overview of the strategic partnership
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By combining their platforms and expertise, the two companies will unify fragmented connectivity environments and operational models across countries and carriers, while reducing the operational complexity of global IoT services.
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This will enable customers to establish a unified operational model for smooth and sustainable service delivery worldwide, without having to individually address country- or carrier-specific regulatory and connectivity requirements.
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NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS and Airlinq will jointly deliver:
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- unified SIM and connectivity management across countries and carriers
- flexible profile switching using eSIM/eUICC4
- regulatory alignment and local compliance support through collaboration with local carriers
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These capabilities will significantly reduce the burden of managing complex, multi-country IoT connectivity operations.
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Key Areas of Collaboration
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- Unified SIM and Connectivity Management via CMP
By leveraging Airlinq’s CMP and, where required, integrating with local carrier CMPs, the strategic partnership will enable unified visibility and management of SIM assets and connectivity status across multiple countries and mobile networks. - Flexible Connectivity Using eSIM/eUICC
Using remote SIM provisioning5, customers can switch to local-carrier SIM profiles without physical SIM replacement, supporting efficient operations and deployments aligned with local requirements across diverse markets. - Regulatory Alignment and Local Compliance Support
The strategic partnership will support contracting and operational coordination with local carriers where required, helping customers deliver connectivity services in alignment with local legal and regulatory requirements. - End-to-End Support from Planning Through Operations
NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS will provide end-to-end support—from planning and implementation through ongoing operations—so customers can deploy and run global IoT services without managing multiple providers or country-by-country adjustments.
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3. Roles and Responsibilities
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NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS
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- Provision of the overall solution for enterprises deploying IoT devices and services
- Leading project governance and execution
- Managing the collaborative operating framework for the strategic partnership
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Airlinq
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- Provision of the CMP and eSIM/eUICC solutions
- Coordination with local carriers
- Support for regulatory alignment and compliance, including contracting and operational execution
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4. Executive Comments
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Kazuo Komine, Senior Vice President, Head of 5G & IoT Services, Platform Service Division, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, Inc.
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“In areas such as automotive, securing stable, global connectivity has become essential for IoT-driven services and business. However, many markets require special consideration due to regulatory and operational constraints, making implementation and ongoing operations a significant challenge for customers. Through our strategic partnership with Airlinq, we will deliver effective solutions to these challenges—enabling compliant, stable, and flexible mobile IoT connectivity across diverse regulatory environments to support our customers’ global expansion and the sustainable growth of IoT industries.”
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Sunil Kaul, CEO of Airlinq Inc.
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“Global IoT scale is no longer limited by technology, but by regulation. Together with NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, we are removing those barriers and enabling enterprises to deploy compliant, future-proof IoT services anywhere in the world.”
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5. Future Outlook
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Through the strategic partnership, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS and Airlinq will provide connected solutions aligned with local regulatory and connectivity requirements across global markets, covering the full lifecycle from pre-deployment planning to post-deployment operations.
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The two companies will support enterprises pursuing global IoT initiatives across mobility sectors such as automotive, construction machinery, and agricultural equipment, serving as partners to accelerate digital transformation and global business expansion.
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1. | Autonomous Connectivity Management Platform (CMP): a system used to manage and control connectivity and SIM-related information for IoT devices in a unified manner. |
2. | Markets with complex telecommunications regulatory requirements: markets that may restrict or limit long-term roaming usage or permanent connectivity services by foreign operators without local licenses. |
3. | Connected vehicles: vehicles equipped with communication capabilities that connect to networks and cloud platforms to enable functions such as status monitoring, location tracking, software updates, and value-added services. |
4. | eUICC (Embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card): a SIM architecture that securely stores and manages multiple carrier profiles. |
5. | Remote SIM Provisioning: a mechanism that enables remote download and switching of carrier SIM profiles on eSIM-enabled devices without physical SIM replacement. |
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