Digital Lifescapes

Mobile network operators are investing in infrastructure that enables the delivery of Internet of Things (IoT) service offerings. They're also establishing relationships with leading technology vendor partners -- to create a viable ecosystem that will attract software application developers. Cellular machine-to-machine (M2M) connections will reach 733 million globally by 2021, according to the latest worldwide study by Ovum. Moreover, they also have forecast that total cellular M2M service revenues will reach a global annual total of $67 billion in 2021. Ongoing M2M Market Development The greatest revenue contributions will come from three key regions across the globe -- Asia-Pacific ($22 billion), North America ($16 billion) and Western Europe ($14 billion). Many wireless service providers will maximize their revenue opportunity by extending beyond connectivity, therefore Ovum also includes the proportion of revenue from the M2M service layers. Their forecast has identifie...

The ongoing adoption of more powerful mobile devices and machine-to-machine (M2M) connections are key contributors to significant mobile data traffic growth, according to the latest annual update of the Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast . In 2014, 88 percent of global mobile data traffic was considered Smart traffic, with advanced computing or multimedia capabilities and a minimum of 3G connectivity, but that figure is expected to rise to 97 percent by 2019. The worldwide shift to smartphones -- combined with the continued growth in media tablets, as well as expanding machine-to-machine (M2M) wireless applications -- are key factors supporting the increasing Smart traffic trend. From a global mobile network perspective, 3G is expected to surpass 2G as the top cellular technology, based on connection share, by 2017. By 2019, 3G networks will support 44 percent of global mobile devices and connections; 4G networks will support 26 percent of c...

The Internet of Things (IoT) market momentum has grown steadily and the upside promise is slowly becoming a reality. According to a market study by International Data Corporation (IDC), a transformation is underway that will see the worldwide market for IoT solutions grow from $1.9 trillion in 2013 to $7.1 trillion in 2020. IDC defines the Internet of Things as a network of networks of uniquely identifiable endpoints (or things) that communicate without human interaction using Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity – be it locally or globally. Globally, informed people are developing a high affinity for full-time online connectivity, which makes consumer IoT a compelling value proposition. Meanwhile, enterprise leaders are intrigued by the efficiencies, business process implications, and revenue opportunities that IoT solutions can generate over time. "Businesses are taking the necessary steps to gain a deeper understanding of IoT and the overall value," said Vernon Turner...

Infonetics Research released findings from its latest mobile communications sector market study, which provides market size, analysis, and forecasts for mobile machine-to-machine (M2M) modules by technology, vertical industry, and geographic region. Mobile network operators are deploying more M2M solutions and enterprises and consumers are increasingly adopting them across the globe -- creating a robust outlook for the overall M2M services market, as well as the mobile M2M module market. “To put things in perspective, the mobile M2M module is just one of many technology solutions available for M2M services, one that represents less than 15 percent of active M2M connections today," said Godfrey Chua, directing analyst for M2M at Infonetics Research . Mobile M2M modules compete against a myriad other technology solutions that enable M2M services -- including DSL and T1 lines as well as wireless technologies like WiFi, Zigbee and Bluetooth. Many mobile network services are...

Mobile machine-to-machine (M2M) modules -- based upon 2G technologies -- continued to dominate shipments in 2012 with over 70 percent market share, according to the latest market study by ABI Research. As a result, module revenues did not break the $1 billion mark as hoped and the average module price continued to decline. "Cellular M2M module price competition was intense in 2012 driven by several factors," says, Dan Shey, practice director at ABI Research . Europe was not the traditional M2M module bellwether market and continued to decline in share of module shipments, Meanwhile, some Chinese vendors competed aggressively in the higher volume 2G led market segments, and mobile network operators pushed hard for lower module pricing to grow total cellular connections. However, unlike the personal cellular modem and even the smartphone market, M2M module vendors can insulate themselves from pricing competition by targeting the right industry verticals and offering a...