Three Quarters of LPWAN Developers are Targeting New Industrial IoT Applications that Cannot be Addressed with Existing Technologies
Synopsis:
Unlicensed Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs) such as Sigfox and LoRaWAN™ are providing much of the growth for the industrial Internet of Things despite accelerated rollouts of NB-IoT and LTE-M networks.
With low-cost, battery-powered wireless sensors, LPWANs are connecting assets many miles away, monitoring equipment deployed in multiple factory sites and providing continuous visibility of mobile assets with significantly reduced connectivity and maintenance costs. Connected industrial LPWAN devices are on track to triple by 2020.
The publisher's 2018 survey with 160 industrial IoT professionals completed with the International Society of Automation (ISA) and the LoRa Alliance™ found that 57% are researching or developing industrial LPWAN solutions. Three quarters of LPWAN developers are targeting new industrial IoT applications that cannot be addressed with existing technologies.
Driving IoT Innovations
Competition among LPWAN technologies has driven IoT innovations such as multi-radio devices, radio-based geolocation, disposable devices and evolving network operator business models. The growing licensed and unlicensed public LPWAN ecosystem has resulted in services now available in over 100 countries.
With 80 public network operators worldwide, growth is accelerating for private LoRaWAN™ networks that provide rapidly deployable, dedicated networks for enterprises.
Within the next decade, there will be 650 million wireless sensing, tracking and control devices in use worldwide for industrial automation, logistics, agriculture, construction and related areas. LPWANs will make up 1 in 3 by this time, with the largest impact for asset tracking and locating, precision agriculture, remote equipment monitoring and smart water solutions.
Evolving Network Operator Models
Established network operators such as Comcast, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Verizon and Vodafone are ramping up their IoT offerings with vertical solutions and disruptive connectivity service pricing. LoRaWAN™ offers enterprises with the flexibility of having dedicated, private networks with hosted network servers in the cloud or installed on-site as well as seamless roaming across multiple networks.
Dedicated IoT network operators such as Senet and Ingenu have launched new cloud-based network connectivity business models aimed at accelerating IoT adoption.
This report is based on extensive phone interviews with industrial automation vendors, suppliers and end users as well as Q4 2018 survey with 160 industrial IoT professionals that was completed in collaboration with the International Society of Automation (ISA) and the LoRa Alliance™.
Table of Contents
Samples
LOADING...
Executive Summary
Unlicensed Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWANs) such as Sigfox and LoRaWAN™ are providing much of the growth for the industrial Internet of Things (IoT) despite accelerated rollouts of NB-IoT and LTE-M networks.
With low-cost, battery-powered wireless sensors, LPWANs are connecting assets many miles away, monitoring equipment deployed in multiple factory sites and providing continuous visibility of mobile assets with significantly reduced connectivity and maintenance costs.
Connected industrial LPWAN devices will triple by 2020. ON World’s 2018 survey with 160 industrial IoT professionals completed with the International Society of Automation (ISA) and the LoRa Alliance™ found that 57% are researching or developing industrial LPWAN solutions. Three quarters of LPWAN developers are targeting new industrial IoT applications that cannot be addressed with existing technologies.
Competition among LPWAN technologies has driven IoT innovations such as multi-radio devices, radio-based geolocation, disposable devices and evolving network operator business models. The growing licensed and unlicensed public LPWAN ecosystem has resulted in services now available in hundreds of countries.
While North American telecom operators focus on NB-IoT and LTE-M, many operators in Europe and Asia are providing both NB-IoT or LTE-M and LoRaWAN™ services. With 80 public network operators worldwide, growth is accelerating for private LoRaWAN™ networks that provide rapidly deployable, dedicated networks for enterprises.
Within the next decade, there will be 650 million wireless sensor network (WSN) devices in use worldwide for industrial automation, logistics, agriculture, construction and related areas. LPWANs will make up 1 in 3 by this time, with the largest impact for asset tracking and locating, precision agriculture, remote equipment monitoring and smart water solutions.
Driving IoT Innovations
Asset tracking and locating is the fastest growing LPWAN application area with the largest total potential market size. LoRaWAN™ networks support radio-based geolocation to significantly lower the cost of mobile asset tracking within a 100-meter radius without requiring GPS. Sigfox’s recently launched Atlas WiFi service which combines WiFi infrastructure registered in the HERE location suite with Sigfox network technology, also without using GPS. In October 2018, the LoRa Alliance™ announced three specifications that support standards -based firmware over the air updates, a required feature for widespread adoption of LPWAN solutions such as asset tracking.
LPWAN hardware innovations are growing. Examples include multi-radio asset trackers that combine LPWAN technologies such as Sigfox, LoRaWAN™ or NB-IoT for outdoor asset tracking with short-range wireless technologies such as WiFi or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) for precise indoor real-time location systems (RTLS). Polysense’s universal LPWAN sensor is targeted at multiple applications for manufacturing, electric power, water/wastewater and logistics. Yokogawa has created a “sushi” vibration sensor and thumb-sized gateway using LoRaWAN™. Disposable devices are in the works. Sigfox has announced a 20 cent RF module prototype and the LoRa Alliance™ is currently testing a disposable asset tracker using a printed battery technology.
Evolving Network Operator Models
Established network operators such as Objenious (Bouygues Telecom), Comcast, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Verizon and Vodafone are ramping up their IoT offerings with vertical solutions and disruptive connectivity service pricing. While North American telecom operators focus on NBIoT and LTE-M, many operators in Asia and Europe provide both cellular and non-cellular LPWAN options. LoRaWAN™ offers enterprises with the flexibility of having dedicated, private networks
with hosted network servers in the cloud or on-site as well as seamless roaming across multiple networks.
Dedicated IoT network operators have launched new business models aimed at accelerating IoT adoption. Senet offers a variety of cloud-based network connectivity and OSS and BSS platforms including Virtual Network Services that enable a variety of stakeholders to benefit from deploying IoT devices through a shared revenue model. Ingenu is delivering its Random Phase Multiple Access (RPMA) connectivity technology through a Platform-as-as-Service (PaaS) model.
This report is based on extensive phone interviews with industrial automation vendors, suppliers and end users as well as Q4 2018 survey with 160 industrial IoT professionals that was completed in collaboration with the International Society of Automation (ISA) and the LoRa Alliance™. For the past 15 years, the publisher's market research has been used by government agencies, Fortune 1000 companies and IoT developers worldwide.
Companies Mentioned
- 1NCE
- 3GPP
- 3S
- ABB
- AcSiP
- Actility
- Adaptive Network Solutions
- Adaptive Wireless
- Adeunis
- Advantech B+B SmartWorx
- Aisenz
- Anaren
- Apprion
- ARM
- Ascienta Value Creation
- ATIM
- Auto Assembly
- Automatic Controls
- Automotion Components (ACI)
- Avonmore Electrical
- AwiaTech
- Axible
- Azbil Corporation
- Banner Engineering
- Behrends
- BFUSA
- Birdz
- Buckman
- CANTV
- Carbon Controls
- Carollo Engineers
- Carriots
- Cartón de Colombia SA
- CD Nova
- CDS Wireless
- Centeron
- Certa
- Cisco
- Connit
- Control Data Systems
- Cortexo
- Cosasco
- Craft ai
- CRESITT Industrie
- Cumulocity
- DB360 Consulting
- Decawave
- Defendec
- Dekra
- DIC Corporation
- Digi
- Digital Excellence
- Digital Matter
- Dimonoff
- Dover
- Drust
- Dwyer Instruments
- Dynamic Recycling
- E.B Horsman & Son
- Eaton
- Electric Imp
- Electrochem
- Emerson
- Endress+Hauser
- Enerwave Automation
- Enforta
- enModus
- Enocean
- Ericsson
- ESDS
- Essence Group
- Every Drop Counts Foundation
- EVVOS
- Exacter
- Fleet Space Technologies
- Endress + Hauser Flowte AG
- FreeWave
- G+D Group
- GasSecure (Dräger)
- Gemalto
- General Electric
- Geospace
- Global Logic
- Greenwaves Technologies
- Grid Connect
- Haas Automation
- Halma
- Haya
- Hewlett-Packard
- Hitachi
- Honeywell
- IBM
- IJINUS
- IMST
- IndustreeX
- Ingenu
- Inkoel
- INOVA Geophysical
- IOTA Devices
- ITEE Radom
- Itron
- Johnson Controls
- KAA IoT
- Kaman Corporation
- KB Intelligence
- Kerlink
- Keyence
- Kinney Consulting
- KLATU Networks
- KONCAR
- Kontakt
- Kontron
- Laird
- Lavoro Technologies
- Lewis University
- Libelium
- Linear
- Link Labs
- LORD MicroStrain
- Lucerne University
- Lumedyne (Google)
- Lumenus
- Lyse
- M2M Spectrum
- MACTek Corporation
- Mesimedikal Teknik
- Metso
- Microchip
- Microland
- Microsoft
- Mipot
- MIT
- MITRE
- Moxa
- MultiTech Systems
- Munio Security
- Munisense
- Murata Wireless
- National Instruments
- Nemeus
- New Cosmos Electric
- Nexcom
- NKE Watteco
- NXP
- Objenious
- OleumTech
- Omnimetrix
- ON Semiconductor
- OrbiWise
- Origin Energy
- OSRAM
- Pacific Environment
- Packetworx
- Panasonic
- Panduit
- Parametric GmbH
- Parr Instrument Company
- Pedigree Technnologies
- Pepperl+Fuchs
- Permasense
- Perpetua Power
- Perpetuum
- Pervasive Displays
- Phoenix Contact
- Procter & Gamble
- PTC/ThingWorx
- Qorvo
- QoSCom
- Qowisio
- Quantified Ag
- Radiocrafts
- Rakon
- Raycap
- Raytheon
- Redline
- relayr
- Requea Open Solutions
- Rieker Incorporated
- Riken Keiki
- RisingHF
- RMV Motion
- Rockwell
- Rotork
- RTX
- Safeport
- Sagemcom
- Samsung
- Samtek Energy
- Sandia National Laboratories
- Scanimetrics
- Schneider Electric
- Semtech
- Sencorables
- Senet
- SenRa Tech
- SENSeOR
- Sensolus
- SensorWare Systems
- Sensys Networks
- SERCEL
- Shift Thinking
- Siemens
- Sigfox
- Silicon Labs
- Silvair
- SiTune Corporation
- Smart Cloud
- SmartSensor Labs
- SoftDEL
- Softing
- Spartan Controls
- SQRL Solutions
- SRETT
- Star-Tech Instrument Systems
- Stream Technologies
- Strega Technologies
- Sustainable Energy Management Group LLC
- SVS Consultants
- SYSDEV
- Tadiran Batteries
- TD Next (Telecom Design)
- TDK Corporation
- Tekelek
- Telensa
- Texas Instruments
- Thinxtra
- TICATAG
- TrackNet
- Trax
- Trilliant
- TUV Rheinland
- Ubisense
- u-blox
- UOL Sac
- Urmet
- VIT Student Services
- WellAware
- WESROC
- Wipro
- Worldsensing
- Wulian
- Wyres
- Yokogawa
- Zedi
- Zencus