Global cellular M2M technology forecasts and assumptions

GSMA Intelligence is today publishing a new report analysing network technology trends relating to the cellular M2M market.

The research shows that 77% of cellular M2M connections worldwide were running on 2G networks as of 2014. By 2020, we forecast that mobile broadband networks (3G and 4G) will account for 56% of cellular M2M connections, while the remainder (44%) will continue to run on 2G.

M2M is an integral component of the Internet of Things (IoT), and market opportunities in both are shaped by the development of several communication technologies. In this report, we analyse the different cellular technology migration scenarios and forecast assumptions that each global region is expected to go through over the coming years, and their implications for industry players.

According to industry estimates, cellular M2M represents less than 10% of the total M2M market base to date, which in turn will represent around half of the Internet of Things potential base in 2020 - estimated at over 25 billion devices globally.