The cellular IoT market is set to hit one billion installed devices this year, new research has claimed.
Findings from market research company Berg Insight has said that the number of worldwide cellular IoT subscribers increased by 56% in the past year, hitting 647.5 million.
The report highlights the potential for the technology; it estimates that the global market for IoT devices will be 2.7 billion devices by 2022.
Much of the growth is being driven by China. The report points out that the Chinese government has set a goal to connect 600 million devices to NB-IoT networks by 2020.
According to report author, and Berg Insight senior analyst, Tobias Ryberg, “NB-IoT will essentially replace 2G technology, which accounted for the bulk of the 150 million new cellular IoT connections added in the country in 2017. In the process, the cost of 4G-based cellular IoT chipsets and modules will fall dramatically, paving the way for a similar transition worldwide”.
The next wave of IoT technology will also be driven by China, Berg predicts, noting that the growth of smart cities, smart industrial supply chains and connected consumer products will be kickstarted by Chinese investment, both public and private.