GSMA: Low Power Mobile IoT Networks Now Available from All Leading IoT Operators Worldwide

The GSMA today announced that Mobile IoT or Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) networks are now globally available in licensed spectrum in 49 markets1 around the world following 93 launches by 50 different mobile operators across both LTE-M and NB-IoT. Coverage is now expected to reach approximately 93% of the world’s largest IoT markets by Q2 20192. According to GSMA Intelligence forecasts, by 2025 there will be 3.5 billion cellular IoT connections, including 1.9 billion licensed LPWA connections. “The speed with which these networks have been standardized and deployed around the world is staggering. They are now available in every major IoT market encouraging the development of innovative new products and services across a wide range of sectors,” commented Alex Sinclair, Chief Technology Officer, GSMA. “The market clearly sees the benefit of solutions in licensed spectrum that offer flexibility, adaptability, security and lower cost. They are also future proofed for the 5G era and will support and co-exist with other 5G technologies.”