Tata Communications has taken a new step in its strategy to become an “AI-first” company. The Indian multinational digital infrastructure and services provider has announced the acquisition of 51% stake in Commotion Inc., a native AI SaaS company with a presence in the United States and India.
The goal is clear: to bring artificial intelligence to all the “Digital Fabric” of Tata Communications, with a special focus on its Customer Interaction Suite, which also includes Tata Communications Kaleyra, the omnichannel communications platform for enterprises. With Commotion’s technology, the company aims to shift from reactive interactions to predictive and generative experiences, for both customers and employees.
Commotion, a SaaS platform built from scratch around AI
Commotion isn’t just another customer experience startup; it’s a platform designed from the ground up as AI-native. Its offering is organized into three main blocks that directly align with the priorities of many customer service and operations departments:
- Omnichannel customer experience automation
The platform enables designing and orchestrating real-time interactions across multiple channels — voice, messaging, mobile apps, web, or social media — leveraging contextual data for highly refined personalization. - Voice AI with ultra-low latency speech-to-speech models
Commotion has developed voice capabilities based on AI models that process and respond almost instantly, designed for phone-based conversational assistants or voice channels where latency critically impacts user experience. - Autonomous digital agents for enterprise
The company offers “ready-to-business” AI agents that are aware of internal policies, compliance requirements, and corporate workflows. These agents can operate continuously in both customer-facing processes and internal functions.
The platform unifies Voice AI, an Agent Builder (Agentic AI Builder), and a layer for orchestrating omnichannel journeys, allowing brands to design complex journeys, automate repetitive tasks, and maintain control over business rules, compliance, and data governance.
Integration with Kaleyra: From ticket responses to orchestrating full customer journeys
One of Tata Communications’ key moves is the integration of Commotion with Kaleyra and other components of its Customer Interaction Suite.
According to the announcement, the Commotion orchestration engine will connect with:
- Kaleyra’s existing communication channels (messaging, voice, notifications, etc.),
- Kaleyra TX Hub,
- and Tata Communications’ Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) capabilities.
The idea is for companies to design end-to-end customer journeys that run automatically and are IA-guided. Instead of merely reacting to calls or messages, the platform will be able to:
- predict needs based on behavioral patterns,
- trigger proactive campaigns or interactions,
- and coordinate human and digital agents based on rules and context.
Practically, this means scenarios such as:
a customer initiating a chat inquiry, transitioning to a voice call with an AI assistant, and concluding with targeted human agent intervention when complexity demands. All while preserving context and business rules throughout the journey.
Advancing the “Digital Fabric” and Tata Communications’ AI-first strategy
Tata Communications has long described itself as a “digital ecosystem enabler”, operating in over 190 countries with services spanning connectivity, cloud, security, and media. The company has already strengthened its customer communication and experience offerings through the acquisition and integration of Kaleyra.
With Commotion, it takes a further step in a very clear direction: making artificial intelligence a cross-cutting component of its “Digital Fabric”. It’s not just about offering chatbots or voice assistants, but about integrating AI into:
- interaction data capture and analysis,
- omnichannel orchestration,
- internal process automation,
- and the continuous optimization of journeys and workflows.
The company frames this move as a way to accelerate its transformation toward an AI-first organization, shifting from ad-hoc AI experimentation to scale transformation of processes and products.
Benefits for enterprise clients: From AI pilots to mission-critical operations
For companies already working with Tata Communications and Kaleyra, integrating Commotion could bring several significant changes:
- From isolated pilots to integrated deployments
Many AI projects in customer service remain proof-of-concept, limited to single channels or niche cases. Commotion’s integrated interaction suite aims to provide a common framework to expand and govern these projects at scale. - Unified data and business rules
By centralizing orchestration and agent/journey design, companies can maintain coherent logic around permissions, policies, compliance, and segmentation across all touchpoints. - Leveraging AI in both front-office and back-office
Autonomous digital agents support not only customer-facing interactions but internal tasks like operations support, report automation, and incident classification. - Enhanced customer and employee experience
Well-designed flows result in faster, more consistent responses for customers, while human agents can focus on high-value cases, freeing them from repetitive tasks.
A strategic move for the enterprise AI ecosystem
Beyond its immediate product line, acquiring a 51% stake in Commotion reinforces Tata Communications’ positioning in the AI applied to enterprise communications and customer experience space.
This move comes amid a context where:
- Generative and conversational AI are rapidly integrating into contact centers, messaging apps, and digital channels;
- Major telecom groups and infrastructure providers aim to differentiate not just through network quality but via platforms offering value-added services and applications;
- Enterprises seek solutions that combine regulatory compliance, data control, and the ability to deploy agents and automations far beyond simple chatbots.
The shared vision emphasizes building solutions that scale responsibly, blending Commotion’s innovative capabilities with Tata Communications’ global reach, brand strength, and digital expertise.
Details of the transaction
The acquisition is structured as a cash purchase of 51% of Commotion Inc.’s equity on a fully diluted basis through a Stock Purchase Agreement.
The announcement does not specify financial amounts but clarifies that the aim is to integrate capabilities and teams, not just technology. Commotion’s co-founders, including the CEO, will maintain a central role in the platform’s future development within the group.
What to expect moving forward
With the deal closing and integration underway, Tata Communications is expected to:
- deepen integration of Commotion with its contact center, CPaaS, and omnichannel platforms;
- annonce new use cases and verticals (banking, retail, travel, utilities, etc.) based on digital agents and omnichannel automation;
- strengthen its commercial messaging around the concept of “AI-first Digital Fabric”, positioning its network, cloud, and interaction platforms as a unified, intelligent layer.
For the broader market, this move signals that the competition for customer experience in the AI era will not only be about front-end software but will also involve the convergence of network, data, automation, and advanced AI capabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions about Tata Communications’ purchase of Commotion
What is Commotion Inc., and what does it do?
Commotion is a native AI SaaS platform that combines omnichannel customer experience automation, low-latency Voice AI solutions, and autonomous digital agents for enterprises. Its technology enables orchestrating complex journeys and automating both customer-facing and internal tasks.
What does it mean for Tata Communications to become an “AI-first” organization?
Being “AI-first” means that artificial intelligence ceases to be an add-on and becomes a core component of products, processes, and decision-making. For Tata Communications, this involves embedding AI into its Digital Fabric, customer experience, internal operations, and the development of new services.
How will Commotion integrate with Kaleyra and the Customer Interaction Suite?
Commotion’s orchestration engine will connect with Kaleyra’s channels, its TX Hub, and Tata Communications’ CCaaS capabilities. This will enable transitioning from isolated interactions to comprehensive, IA-guided customer journeys combining digital and human agents based on rules and context.
What tangible benefits can companies expect from this acquisition?
Customer organizations can move from limited AI pilots to large-scale deployments. They will benefit from omnichannel automation, real-time personalization, consistent data and rules, and better utilization of human agents, who can focus on higher-value cases.
Source: tatacommunications