Healthcare, Utilities and Automotive show greatest growth.

Boston, MA - November 18, 2013 - A new study from Strategy Analytics, “M2M Connections by Industry Vertical and Bandwidth” predicts machine-to-machine (M2M) connections will grow from 368 million in 2013 to 2.9 billion by 2022. Of those connections, 78 percent will be on 3G or faster networks by 2022.

Key factors such as M2M platform evolution, application and analytics developments, regulation as well as the creation of new business opportunities and avoiding obsolescence are all factors driving M2M to an expected growth in connections of 23 percent CAGR growth between 2013 and 2022.

M2M service platforms that increasingly support connectivity, as well as application development for building “turnkey” customer solutions, remain critically important in offering affordable solutions. Regulations remain a driver of M2M, with the Affordable Care Act (ACA, “Obamacare”), eCall compliance in 2015, and the European Energy and Efficiency Directive all helping to drive M2M deployments going forwards.

 “Regulation has always been a key driver pushing M2M forward, whether it’s the emergence of the ACA (“Obamacare”), or smart metering initiatives in Europe or China,” said Andrew Brown, Director of Enterprise and M2M research at Strategy Analytics and author of the study.

“However, it is also the investment from industrial giants like GE and pressure from “kick-starter-funded” companies pursuing “over-the-top” initiatives for the “Internet of Things” that are providing the impetus and competition that will also help customers find an increasing range of relevant, tailored solutions,” he added.

“The 2G sunset in the US, shift to LTE, and the long lifecycles in many M2M markets, will see an accelerated shift towards 3G and 4G connections in the next few years. This will only be enhanced by richer applications such as streaming video and digital signage, culminating in 78 percent of M2M connections being 3G or faster networks  by 2022.” added Gina Luk, Senior Analyst Enterprise Research and M2M at Strategy Analytics.