Rohit Laila has spent decades navigating the intricate web of global supply chains, witnessing firsthand the shift from manual tracking to a high-tech, data-driven powerhouse. As a seasoned leader in logistics and delivery, he has developed a deep passion for how innovation can solve age-old problems of transparency and efficiency. Today, we sit down with him to discuss why connectivity remains the most significant bottleneck for industry progress and how the sector must adapt to a world where 40 billion devices will soon be competing for bandwidth. We explore the critical hurdles of network capacity, the rising tide of cyber threats, and the strategic shift toward international, borderless operations.
How is the current state of cellular connectivity impacting the ability of logistics firms to scale their operations globally?
In our industry, the heartbeat of the operation is data, and right now, that heartbeat is often irregular or faint. When 68 percent of logistics and transport professionals identify unstable cellular connectivity or network capacity as their primary hurdle, it tells us that the foundation of our digital transition is still remarkably shaky. For a company managing cold-chain monitoring or high-value parcel visibility, a brief loss of signal isn’t just a minor technical glitch; it is a direct threat to service-level agreements and customer trust. We are operating in an increasingly complex global marketplace where consistent connectivity is no longer a luxury but essential infrastructure required to respond to operational issues the moment they occur.
With the logistics sector reporting the highest rate of security incidents, what are the primary vulnerabilities emerging as fleets become more connected?
The expanding attack surface in our sector is becoming a massive liability that we can no longer afford to ignore. Last year alone, 27 percent of logistics respondents reported a cellular IoT security incident, which is the highest rate among all industries surveyed, even surpassing manufacturing and healthcare. As we move toward a world with over 40 billion connected devices by the end of this decade, the sheer number of vehicles, trailers, and warehouse sensors creates countless entry points for bad actors. It is a sobering reality that our industry is currently more targeted than energy or smart buildings, necessitating a shift toward much more robust device management and proactive network security to maintain supply chain resilience.
Why do you believe logistics leaders are more concerned about threat detection than privacy compliance, and what does this reveal about the industry’s priorities?
The focus for logistics leaders is fundamentally different because our risks are tied directly to physical movement and operational flow rather than just digital files. While other sectors might prioritize data privacy or regulatory compliance, 62 percent of our peers are losing sleep over insufficient threat detection because a cyber incident in our world translates immediately into lost shipments and financial drain. If a warehouse environment or a fleet of trucks is compromised, the disruption ripples through the entire supply chain, causing delays that are incredibly difficult to recover from. We need real-time monitoring and automated systems that can catch a threat before it halts a single truck, making security a strategic operational priority rather than just a checkbox for the IT department.
As we look toward 2030, how will the shift to nearly half of all deployments being international change the way companies manage their IoT infrastructure?
We are standing on the edge of a massive international expansion that will redefine how we think about borders and technology management. Currently, about 29 percent of our IoT deployments are international, but we expect that number to jump significantly to 49 percent by the year 2030. This shift means managing a fleet across multiple networks, jurisdictions, and regulatory environments is going to become much more complex than it is today. To survive this transition, companies will have to move away from fragmented systems and embrace eSIM technology and unified management platforms that allow for seamless operation regardless of where the asset is located.
What is your forecast for the evolution of IoT in the logistics sector over the next decade?
My forecast is that we will see a move toward “invisible” connectivity where the focus shifts from the technology itself to the advisory and management layers that make it work. By 2030, I expect the industry to have moved past the current infrastructure barriers, with eSIMs and unified management platforms becoming the standard for the nearly half of deployments operating across international borders. We will see a much tighter integration between security architecture and operational resilience, where threat detection is automated and integrated into the very fabric of every device. Ultimately, the winners in this space will be the ones who partner with providers capable of simplifying international complexity, allowing them to focus on the logistics of delivery rather than the headaches of network protocols.
