The run-up to Christmas may not be ideal time to release a report setting out the state of the Internet of Things market, or looking at the future of connected cars.
However a new release from analyst firm Analysys Mason makes for interesting reading as we prepare for the start of 2018. In many ways, there has been a huge amount of activity in 2017 but, according to the report, that’s what could make 2018 such an exciting time for connected technology.
As the report notes, “the billion-dollar acquisitions or contract wins of previous years have been absent in 2017. That said, telecoms operators have been building out IoT connectivity networks, adding capabilities and working with the broader ecosystem. All of which should set the market up for an active 2018.”
One of the big questions facing the IoT market is what connectivity technology is going to be used. Here Analysys Mason sees a big split, primarily in China, where the drive is towards Narrowband IoT (NB IoT), the technology being supported by all three national operators as well as the government.
However, in the US, much of the impetus is towards LTE-M, which is currently being rolled out by AT&T and Verizon in a push to accelerate deployment.