Worldwide LPWA network connections to hit one billion by 2023

Licensed low-power, wide-area (LPWA) network connections will outnumber their unlicensed counterparts as the LPWA market increases by 53 percent a year over the next five years, according to new forecasts by ABI Research. The analyst firm said that by 2023 worldwide LPWA network connections will reach one billion, primarily driven by the growth in smart meters and asset trackers. In 2017, these devices contributed to almost three-quarters of all LPWA network connections, and will continue to drive growth in the sector, it added. But non-cellular LPWA will cede its market share dominance to NB-IoT and LTE-M, as cellular LPWA moves to capture over 55 percent of LPWA connections by 2023, according to ABI’s predictions.