Global Cellular and LPWA IoT Device Ecosystems Market Report 2021: Overview of the Main Wide Area Networking Technologies for the Internet of Things

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Jun 17, 2021, 11:30 ET

DUBLIN, June 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cellular and LPWA IoT Device Ecosystems - 5th Edition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The analyst estimates that global cellular IoT module shipments increased by 14 percent to a new record level of 303 million in 2020. Annual revenues grew slower at 8 percent to reach US$ 3.4 billion.

Cellular and LPWA IoT Device Ecosystems gives a comprehensive overview of the main wide area networking technologies for the Internet of Things - 2G/3G/4G/5G cellular, LoRa, Sigfox and 802.15.4 WAN.

The Internet of Things is weaving a new worldwide web of interconnected objects. As of Q1-2021, about 2.1 billion devices were connected to wide area networks based on cellular or LPWA technologies. The market is highly diverse and divided into multiple ecosystems. The analyst forecasts that annual shipments of cellular and non-3GPP LPWA IoT modules will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.7 percent from 363 million units in 2020 to 855 million units in 2025.

While the COVID-19 pandemic affected demand in several major application areas in 2020, the global chipset shortage will have a broader impact on the market in 2021 and curb the growth of IoT device shipments in the near term. Until 2025, the analyst forecasts that cellular IoT module shipments will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.8 percent to reach 629.6 million units.

The results of the latest cellular IoT module vendor market share assessment show that the five largest module vendors, including Quectel, Sierra Wireless, Sunsea AIoT, Fibocom and Thales, have 71 percent of the market in terms of revenues. "The performance of the top vendors varied markedly in the year, to some extent due to different exposure to geographical and vertical markets that were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic", says Fredrik Stalbrand, Senior Analyst. China-based Quectel and Fibocom experienced the highest module sales growth at around 40 percent, driven by strong demand for 4G LTE and LPWA products. In the coming year, Quectel is set to surpass the US$ 1 billion mark in annual revenues, the first of any cellular IoT module provider.

Following the commercial availability of 5G modules in mid-2020, several IoT device makers launched 5G devices during the year. These include a number of IoT gateway vendors, as well as car makers in China.

A wider range of IoT devices supporting 5G networks are expected to reach the market in 2021 and beyond as network coverage improves and IoT-optimised modems become available in volume with attractive pricing. Another key accelerator for the adoption of 5G in the IoT market will be support for reduced capability (RedCap) devices that will be introduced in the upcoming 3GPP Release 17.

Sometimes also called NR Light, RedCap devices will be less expensive compared to the 5G devices that are being deployed today and offer higher data rates than LPWA technologies like LTE-M and NB-IoT. Modules supporting the specification will likely reach the market in 2023 and increase the addressable market for 5G NR into use cases like wearables, video surveillance and industrial monitoring.

Highlights from the report:

360-degree overview of the main IoT wide area networking ecosystems.
Comparison of technologies and standards.
Updated profiles of the main suppliers of IoT chipsets and modules.
Cellular IoT module market data for 2020.
Adoption trends for LPWA technologies including NB-IoT, LTE-M, LoRa and Sigfox.
Cellular and non-3GPP LPWA IoT device market forecasts until 2025.

This report answers the following questions:

How will the IoT wide area networking technology market evolve over the next five years?
Who are the new challengers in the cellular IoT module market?
Which new mass-volume segments can be addressed by low-cost LPWA technologies?
Why are the new standards LTE-M and NB-IoT so significant for the cellular IoT ecosystem?
Which IoT applications will drive the adoption of 5G?
What is the current installed base of LoRa and Sigfox?
What are the prospects for emerging LPWA technology standards?

Key Topics Covered:

Executive summary

1 Wide area networks for the Internet of Things
1.1 Which things will be connected to wide area networks?
1.1.1 Utility meters
1.1.2 Motor vehicles
1.1.3 Buildings
1.1.4 Low value assets - Industry 4.0 and consumer products
1.1.5 Future opportunities in smart cities
1.2 What are the technology options?
1.2.1 Network deployment models
1.2.2 Unlicensed and licensed frequency bands
1.2.3 Cost comparison for cellular and LPWA technologies
1.3 Which are the leading technology ecosystems?

2 3GPP ecosystem
2.1 Technology characteristics
2.1.1 3GPP Release 13 - Introducing LTE-M and NB-IoT
2.1.2 3GPP Release 14 - IoT enhancements and C-V2X
2.1.3 3GPP Release 15 - The first phase of 5G specifications
2.1.4 3GPP Release 16 - URLLC enhancements, IIoT features and 5G NR C-V2X
2.1.5 3GPP Release 17 - RedCap and non-terrestrial network communications
2.1.6 Network footprint
2.1.7 2G mobile networks
2.1.8 3G/4G mobile networks
2.1.9 4G mobile IoT networks (LTE-M and NB-IoT)
2.1.10 5G mobile networks
2.2 Semiconductor vendors
2.2.1 HiSilicon (Huawei)
2.2.2 Intel
2.2.3 MediaTek
2.2.4 Qualcomm
2.2.5 Sequans Communications
2.2.6 Sony
2.2.7 UNISOC
2.2.8 Other semiconductor vendors
2.3 Module vendors
2.3.1 Cheerzing
2.3.2 China Mobile IoT
2.3.3 Fibocom
2.3.4 Gosuncn WeLink
2.3.5 MeiG Smart Technology
2.3.6 Neoway
2.3.7 Nordic Semiconductor
2.3.8 Quectel
2.3.9 Sierra Wireless
2.3.10 Sunsea AIoT (SIMCom & Longsung)
2.3.11 Telit
2.3.12 Thales
2.3.13 u-blox
2.3.14 Other cellular IoT module vendors

3 LoRa and LoRaWAN ecosystem
3.1 Technology characteristics
3.2 Network footprint
3.3 Semiconductor and module vendors
3.3.1 Semtech
3.3.2 Other semiconductor vendors
3.3.3 LoRa module vendors

4 Sigfox ecosystem
4.1 Technology characteristics
4.2 Network footprint
4.2.1 Europe
4.2.2 The Americas
4.2.3 Asia-Pacific
4.2.4 Middle East & Africa
4.2.5 Global satellite coverage planned in collaboration with Eutelsat
4.3 Semiconductor and module vendors
4.3.1 Semiconductor vendors
4.3.2 Sigfox module vendors

5 802.15.4 WAN ecosystem
5.1 Technology characteristics
5.1.1 IPv6 connectivity stacks based on 802.15.4
5.1.2 Wi-SUN
5.1.3 ZigBee
5.2 Network footprint
5.3 Chipsets and modules

6 Vertical market segments
6.1 Motor vehicles
6.1.1 OEM connected car applications
6.1.2 Aftermarket connected car applications
6.1.3 Connected commercial vehicle applications
6.2 Energy & Infrastructure
6.2.1 Smart electricity metering
6.2.2 Smart gas and water metering
6.2.3 Smart cities
6.3 Industry & Transport
6.4 Healthcare
6.5 Other
6.5.1 Buildings & security
6.5.2 Consumer products
6.5.3 Payments

7 Market forecasts and trends
7.1 Market summary
7.2 3GPP family
7.3 LoRa
7.4 Sigfox
7.5 802.15.4 WAN

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/a3fl3j

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