Mobile operators’ global M2M footprint - 391 mobile operators offer M2M services across 171 countries
Internet of things (IoT)
Over the past six months, GSMA Intelligence has interviewed more than 45 M2M industry players and tracked the number of mobile operators worldwide that offer M2M solutions and tariffs as well as telemetry and connectivity-only services. Our research found that, as of May 2013, 391 mobile operators offer M2M services across 171 countries, equivalent to four out of ten mobile operators worldwide.
In this study, we also analyse the impact that M2M can have on mobile operators' connection and revenue growth as well as the most common go-to-market scenarios that apply to mobile operators in the M2M value chain. We define Machine to Machine (M2M) as SIM cards enabling wireless data transmission between machines, excluding mobile broadband consumer electronics.
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Mobile operators’ global M2M footprint - 391 mobile operators offer M2M services across 171 countries
Report details
Mobile operators’ global M2M footprint - 391 mobile operators offer M2M services across 171 countries
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