GSMA, the industry organization for mobile operators, said in its latest report on the machine-to-machine(M2M) market that the United States leads other countries across the globe in the adoption of M2M technologies. GSMA said that M2M connections in the US make up 10% of total mobile connections in the country, compared to 5% in Europe and 1% in Africa. These and other findings are published in its new report, entitled “Driving Innovation in Connected Living – The US Flags the Future of M2M.” Globally, M2M connections are expected to reach 244 million this year with US accounting for 41 million connections.
According to GSMA, the growth in the M2M connections in the US is driven by the rapid adoption of M2M applications in the automotive, utilities and oil and gas sectors. The increasing popularity of smart wearables such as smartwatches and smartbands are also pushing the adoption of M2M connections in the consumer segments. The Connected Car is another consumer market that has seen M2M connections picking up, as auto-makers, mobile operators and providers of in-vehicle digital platforms beef up efforts to roll-out high-speed broadband connectivity and a wide range of infotainment services in the car. In the smarthome segment, there were approximately 2.3 million smarthome installations in North America last year while in the smart meters segment, there were 43 million smart meters installed at the end of 2012.
GSMA's report touches on some of the challenges that the M2M market is facing, including the lack of standardization which limits interoperability between the many M2M devices and applications, resulting in too many interfaces and control platforms for users and enterprises.
"The US has taken a leading role in the deployment of next-generation network technologies and is now extending that far-sighted approach to M2M technology, particularly with innovative services in the Connected Car and Connected Home spaces. However, without common, interoperable standards and appropriate regulation, the US market cannot reach its full potential. We look forward to continuing our work with US operators to help them deliver the full power of M2M technology and the Internet of Things, providing important socio-economic benefits to citizens and businesses alike.”
- Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA
