IoT will supersede mobiles by 2018

You don’t need an introduction to IoT anymore. Braving all security concerns and odds of all kinds, this technology of connecting everyday objects through a network is covering increasingly more ground every passing day and according to the latest edition of Ericsson's Mobility Report IoT is set to overtake mobile phones as the largest category of connected devices by 2018.

As per the report, between 2015 and 2021, the number of IoT-connected devices is expected to grow 23 per cent annually, of which cellular IoT is forecast to have the highest growth rate.

Of the 28 billion total devices that will be connected by 2021, close to 16 billion will be IoT devices,” says the report, published last Wednesday. “Western Europe will lead the way in adding IoT connections and the number of IoT devices in this market is projected to grow 400 per cent by 2021.

This will principally be driven by regulatory requirements, for example for intelligent utility meters, and a growing demand for connected cars including the European Union e-call directive to be implemented in 2018,” the report added.

Commenting on the report Rima Qureshi, Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Ericsson said in a statement, “IoT is now accelerating as device costs fall and innovative applications emerge. From 2020, commercial deployment of 5G networks will provide additional capabilities that are critical for IoT, such as network slicing and the capacity to connect exponentially more devices than is possible today.”

According to the report, mobile data traffic in India will grow 15 times by 2021 and smartphone subscriptions (globally) will almost double from 3.4 billion to 6.3 billion.

There were some insights into  teen viewing habits as well. As per the report, the use of cellular data for smartphone video has grown 127 per cent in 15 months (2014-15).

“Over a period of four years (2011-15) there has been a 50 per cent drop in the time teens spend watching TV/video on a TV screen, and in contrast, an 85 per cent increase in those viewing TV/video on a smartphone. This, and the fact that the upcoming generation of mobile users are the heaviest consumers of data for smartphone video streaming (Wi-Fi and cellular combined), makes them the most important group for cellular operators to monitor,” the report added.