16 billion connected devices are forecast to join the Internet of Things(IoT) by the end of 2021, according to the latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report.
The report reveals that the IoT is set to overtake mobile phones as the largest category of connected devices by 2018. Between 2015 and 2021, the number of IoT connected devices is expected to grow 23 percent annually, of which cellular IoT is forecast to have the highest growth rate.
Western Europe is expected to lead the way in adding IoT connections with the number of IoT devices in this market projected to grow 400 percent by 2021. This will principally be driven by regulatory requirements, for example for intelligent utility meters, and a growing demand for connected cars including the EU e-call directive to be implemented in 2018.
Rima Qureshi, Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Ericsson
IoT is now accelerating as device costs fall and innovative applications emerge. From 2020, commercial deployment of 5G networks will provide additional capabilities that are critical for IoT, such as network slicing and the capacity to connect exponentially more devices than is possible today.
