LPWA market to generate US$23bn in service revenue by 2020, says new research report

SNS Research has released a new 239-page report, The LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) Networks Ecosystem: 2017 – 2030 – Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies, Industry Verticals & Forecasts.

LPWA networks are optimised to provide wide area coverage with minimal power consumption. Typically reliant on unlicensed frequencies, LPWA profile IoT devices have low data rates, long battery lives and can operate unattended for long periods of time. Licensed LPWA technologies such as NB-IoT and LTE Cat-M1 are also beginning to gain traction.

Already prevalent in IoT applications such as smart metering, lighting control and parking management, LPWA networks are expected to make a significant contribution to the M2M and IoT ecosystem, with an estimated $23 billion in service revenue by 2020.

Among the questions answered are:

    • How big is the LPWA networks opportunity?
    • What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?
    • How is the ecosystem evolving by segment and region?
    • What will the market size be in 2020 and at what rate will it grow?
    • Which regions and submarkets will see the highest percentage of growth?
    • How are smart city initiatives driving LPWA network investments?
    • What are the key performance characteristics of LPWA technologies such as Sigfox, LoRa, NB-IoT, LTE Cat-M1 and EC-GSM-IoT?
    • How does regulation impact the adoption of LPWA networks?
    • Do cellular LPWA networks pose a threat to proprietary LPWA technologies?
    • Who are the key market players and what are their strategies?
    • What strategies should LPWA technology providers, mobile operators, MVNOs, aggregators, IoT platform providers and other ecosystem players adopt to remain competitive?

The report’s key findings include:

    • Already prevalent in IoT applications such as smart metering, lighting control and parking management, LPWA networks are expected to make a significant contribution to the M2M and IoT ecosystem, with an estimated $23 Billion in service revenue by 2020.
    • At present, a majority of LPWA networks are based on proprietary technologies and operate in license-exempt spectrum primarily in sub-GHz bands.
    • With the recent completion of the NB-IoT, LTE Cat-M1 and EC-GSM-IoT standards by the 3GPP, mobile operators are aggressively investing in software upgrades to build their own carrier-grade LPWA networks.
    • By 2020, SNS Research estimates that more than 35% of all LPWA profile IoT devices will be served by NB-IoT, LTE Cat-M1 and EC-GSM-IoT networks.
    • As of Q4’2016, SNS Research estimates the cost of a typical LPWA module to be $4-18, depending on the specific technology. As LPWA network deployments mature, we expect that the cost per module can drop down to as low as $1-2 in volume quantities.

Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @IoTNow_ OR @jcIoTnow

RECENT ARTICLES

Panasonic and Jasmy unveil Web3 Platform for IoT data control

Posted on: March 28, 2024

Panasonic has joined forces with Jasmy (JASMY) blockchain to introduce a Web3 platform that will facilitate the connection of personal data on the Internet of Things (IoT). The collaboration between the Japanese-based blockchain and Panasonic Advanced Technology was initiated in February, but the official announcement was made on March 26.

Read more

Driving connected personalised user experiences with Generative AI

Posted on: March 27, 2024

As the world continues to rapidly move towards digitalisation, customer expectations are also on the rise. Around the globe, telcos are grappling with meeting these expectations. As well as ensuring connectivity in a secure, seamless, and consistent manner 24/7, to compete and differentiate, operators now need to provide personalised experiences that are as unique as

Read more
FEATURED IoT STORIES

What is IoT? A Beginner’s Guide

Posted on: April 5, 2023

What is IoT? IoT, or the Internet of Things, refers to the connection of everyday objects, or “things,” to the internet, allowing them to collect, transmit, and share data. This interconnected network of devices transforms previously “dumb” objects, such as toasters or security cameras, into smart devices that can interact with each other and their

Read more

The IoT Adoption Boom – Everything You Need to Know

Posted on: September 28, 2022

In an age when we seem to go through technology boom after technology boom, it’s hard to imagine one sticking out. However, IoT adoption, or the Internet of Things adoption, is leading the charge to dominate the next decade’s discussion around business IT. Below, we’ll discuss the current boom, what’s driving it, where it’s going,

Read more

9 IoT applications that will change everything

Posted on: September 1, 2021

Whether you are a future-minded CEO, tech-driven CEO or IT leader, you’ve come across the term IoT before. It’s often used alongside superlatives regarding how it will revolutionize the way you work, play, and live. But is it just another buzzword, or is it the as-promised technological holy grail? The truth is that Internet of

Read more

Which IoT Platform 2021? IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide

Posted on: August 30, 2021

There are several different parts in a complete IoT solution, all of which must work together to get the result needed, write IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide – Which IoT Platform 2021? authors Robin Duke-Woolley, the CEO and Bill Ingle, a senior analyst, at Beecham Research. Figure 1 shows these parts and, although not all

Read more

CAT-M1 vs NB-IoT – examining the real differences

Posted on: June 21, 2021

As industry players look to provide the next generation of IoT connectivity, two different standards have emerged under release 13 of 3GPP – CAT-M1 and NB-IoT.

Read more

IoT and home automation: What does the future hold?

Posted on: June 10, 2020

Once a dream, home automation using iot is slowly but steadily becoming a part of daily lives around the world. In fact, it is believed that the global market for smart home automation will reach $40 billion by 2020.

Read more

5 challenges still facing the Internet of Things

Posted on: June 3, 2020

The Internet of Things (IoT) has quickly become a huge part of how people live, communicate and do business. All around the world, web-enabled devices are turning our world into a more switched-on place to live.

Read more