The number of IoT connected devices has grown tremendously in recent years. 2016 will mark the first year the number of ¨things¨ connected to the Internet – accessories and sensor nodes more specifically – exceeds that for so-called ¨hub devices,¨ such as smartphones, PCs and such, according to ABI Research. Accessories include smartphone and PC peripherals, residential smart home lighting, wearable devices and sensor nodes (Bluetooth beacons, proximity sensors and other edge devices), researchers note.
ABI forecasts the installed base of active wireless connected devices, including accessories and hubs, will exceed 47 billion by 2021.
ABI’s forecast calls for the number of IoT-related accessory and sensor node Internet connections to grow at a 24.1% CAGR through 2021 to account for more than 65% of total active connections by the end of the period.
Now the critical question for companies is how to create a strategic framework that optimizes IoT solution ROI in concert with connected endpoint growth¨ ABI senior analyst Ryan Martin said in a press release. “Growth will be driven by a massive uptick in contextually-aware IoT endpoints across retail, advertising and supply chain, smart home, and industrial IoT markets.”
This will take place primarily at the edge of Internet network coverage amidst ongoing development and uptake of IoT-driven technology, such as low-power wide area networks (LPWAN), short range wireless and cellular networks (e.g. small cells), and their integration within existing Internet systems infrastructure, ABI highlights in its Internet of Everything Market Tracker and Internet of Everything Semiannual Update.
More specifically, that includes new technical specifications, such as Bluetooth 5 and Wi-Fi HaLow 802.11ah, LTE Cat M to be followed by NB-IOT, and LAN technologies, such as from Ingenu, LoRa, Sigfox and Thread.
In related market research released late in April, ABI pointed out that WiFi industry players are working to expand use of new frequency bands in a bid to boost IoT connectivity. New market opportunities will open up as a result of WiFi over new 802.11ad (WiGig) and sub-1 GHz WiFi HaLow (802.11ah) frequency bands.
As ABI’s Martin explains: “Advances in mesh networking, location-aware ICs, and better utilization of unlicensed spectrum are among the key ingredients driving wireless sensor network deployments, and, in turn, the next generation of connected devices.”
The results of ABI’s research about the number of Internet connected devices are different from those of Ericsson, which noted in its most recent Mobility Report that the number of IoT connections will exceed those for mobile phones in 2018, rising 23% a year between 2015 and 2021 to account for 16 billion of 28 billion total IoT devices.