Vodafone Group has published its second annual "M2M Adoption Barometer", a global survey of the machine-to-machine (M2M) market, which finds that companies in Asia-Pacific were among the leaders in M2M adoption globally. In 2014, 27% of AMAP-based companies on average have adopted M2M solutions - a 15-point increase over 2013. Average adoption rates were 21% in Europe and 17% in the Americas.
The survey, carried out by Circle Research, captured the views of more than 600 executives - 38% of whom were from the AMAP region - involved in setting M2M strategy in seven key industries across 14 countries, making it one of the leading global surveys of M2M implementation. The 2014 survey predicts that the AMAP region will continue to lead the rest of the world over the next couple of years - with adoption expected to hit 48% on average across companies based in this region in 2015. This year’s report also suggests that by 2016 the gap will be negligible with all regions close-to 55% average for adoption.
Niklas Ekarv, Director of Machine-to-Machine in Asia-Pacific, Vodafone, said, "This year’s report findings leaves no doubt that the momentum is accelerating as companies in the Asia-Pacific begin to realise the commercial potential of the Internet of Things. Machina Research expects M2M connections in Asia to grow at a CAGR of 20% till 2023. This technology is transforming whole industries across Asia as companies find new ways to operate and engage with their customers. Greater China is expected to dominate Asian M2M revenues as per Machina Research, followed by Japan, India, Korea and Australia. Vodafone has invested in capabilities across Asia-Pacific to become the provider of choice for M2M solutions."
Globally, three sectors have emerged as front-runners in M2M with nearly 30% adoption rates: automotive, consumer electronics, and energy and utilities. Vodafone’s report shows that the consumer electronics sector is at the forefront of a shift from the warehouse to the living room. Automotive is the most mature of the sectors where M2M is now seen as an enabler for additional services such as remote maintenance and infotainment. M2M adoption in energy and utilities is also growing rapidly as “smart” home and office services such as intelligent heating and connected security gain popularity.
