With cellular machine-to-machine (M2M) connections in Asia expected to more than triple in the coming years, local wireless operators have “banded together” in a group dedicated to facilitating M2M deployments in the region, says IHS in a new report.
The installed base of wireless M2M connections in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region will rise to 109.0 million in 2017, up from 32.6 million in 2012, according to IHS Technology (NYSE: IHS). By 2017, Asia-Pacific is set to be the second-largest regional M2M market, behind only Europe in total cumulative cellular M2M connection volume.
In January, IHS researchers say, eleven operator members of the Bridge Alliance in the Asian-Pacific region formed the Bridge M2M Alliance. The group was chartered to “promote the growth of cellular M2M services in APAC.”
The 11 founding Bridge M2M Alliance operators provide connectivity to more than 570 million mobile subscribers in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Bridge M2M Alliance will specifically address market inhibitors unique to the Asia-Pacific region.
“There are some fundamental structural challenges to the growth of multinational M2M deployments in Asia-Pacific that don’t impact other regions to the same extent,” said Bill Morelli, associate director of M2M & Internet of Things at IHS. “These problems include an overabundance of cellular air standards, major geographical barriers, and highly divergent market dynamics in different countries. The Bridge M2M Alliance could play a key role in overcoming these issues and enabling the region to attain its growth potential.”
