Soracom is expanding its IoT platform beyond data connectivity with Air RTC Gateway, a new service that routes ordinary cellular voice calls from connected devices to contact centres, VoIP platforms and AI agents.

That may sound like a small extension to an IoT SIM. In practice, it addresses an awkward gap in many connected-device projects: data is relatively easy to manage centrally, but a live conversation between the person standing beside the device and the right support team often requires a separate telephony setup, dedicated phone-number logic or custom software.

Voice without another app

Air RTC Gateway receives a device’s standard VoLTE call inside Soracom’s cloud and converts it to VoIP. The call can then be sent over the public internet to an external VoIP provider or through Soracom’s Virtual Private Gateway to a company’s PBX, contact centre or voice AI environment.

The interesting part is how the call is identified and routed. Soracom can use the SIM’s group, tags and device identity to decide where the call should go. A parking terminal could reach a payment-support queue, an elevator button could connect to an emergency desk, and a connected vehicle could reach the appropriate service centre without each device running a dedicated voice application.

READ MORE: Why Soracom Matters in the Future of IoT eSIM

Soracom says the service works with IMS- and VoLTE-capable modules. Authentication is handled through the SIM rather than a second set of application credentials, reducing the number of identities that enterprises must provision and maintain. It also means manufacturers can use the module’s built-in cellular calling function rather than developing and updating an app purely for voice.

Where AI enters the call

The timing is deliberate. Voice AI is moving from experimental demos into customer-service workflows, particularly for first-response intake, simple verification and triage. Twilio, for example, now markets voice AI tools designed to pass conversations from an automated agent to a human with context intact. Soracom is approaching the same trend from the device side: instead of beginning with a customer’s phone call, it begins with a machine, terminal or safety system in the field.

Connected to an AI agent, Air RTC Gateway can answer calls continuously, collect the initial problem and transfer more complex cases to a human operator. That could be useful for industrial machinery, care facilities, building access systems and transport equipment, where the person calling may not have an app, account or even a conventional handset.

“Soracom began by making connectivity accessible to IoT innovators, and we have since extended that foundation to public cloud, satellite, and AI,” said Kenta Yasukawa, CTO and Co-Founder of Soracom.

“Voice is the next layer. With Soracom Air RTC Gateway, a device’s built-in cellular voice becomes a managed connection that the platform routes by SIM identity to a contact center, a VoIP provider, or an AI agent, with no voice application on the device. This is how we connect people, things, and AI through one platform, and how Soracom keeps making things happen for the teams building real-world AI.”

A broader enterprise role

Soracom is also positioning the gateway beyond traditional IoT equipment. Used with its eSIM Profile Order service and Virtual Private Gateway, a company device can operate as an internal office extension while retaining private access to enterprise systems outside the office.

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Still, this is not a universal voice layer for every sensor. Data-only deployments, low-power NB-IoT devices an

d products without compatible VoLTE modules will gain little from it. LTE-M can support VoLTE, but the hardware and power requirements are generally higher than for simpler NB-IoT designs.

Pricing, geographic voice availability, supported VoIP integrations and operational service levels will matter more than the launch description suggests. Advance registration is required, so this is currently closer to a managed enterprise capability than an instant, self-service add-on.

Conclusion

Soracom is not the only route to voice-enabled IoT. Telnyx promotes SIP-based calling for connected devices, while enterprises can combine KORE’s IoT connectivity portfolio with programmable voice and AI platforms such as Twilio. Ericsson also provides IMS and VoLTE integration for enterprise communications. The difference is that these alternatives often begin with IP voice infrastructure or require several products to be assembled. Soracom’s proposition begins with native cellular voice and uses the SIM identity as the orchestration layer.

That makes Air RTC Gateway most compelling where voice is part of the device’s core operational purpose, not an occasional extra. The real market signal is the convergence of IoT connectivity, enterprise communications and AI assistance. Soracom has found a practical place for itself in that convergence: not by putting another chatbot on a screen, but by making an existing emergency button, gate or machine capable of reaching the right human—or AI—more intelligently.