IoT connectivity spending climbs as COVID-19 cases decline
As COVID-19 cases decline, survey data suggests that spending on IoT projects and network connectivity for IoT will increase as enterprises get back to business at full tilt.
Despite last year’s tumultuous twists and turns, enterprises have seemingly embraced digitization and Internet of Things (IoT) projects as part of their economic recovery plans.
According to the recent IoT World Today Connectivity Survey of 429 respondent, a majority of respondents (59%) anticipate an increased IoT budget in 2021 compared with 2020, while just 6% anticipate a decrease.
The No. 1 primary driver of anticipated increases in 2021 IoT budget is the fact that the pandemic heightened the need for digital initiatives, including for IoT, cited by 44% of respondents who expect an increase.
Further, respondents see the network as core to project success. Most respondents (57%) anticipate an increased networking budget in 2021 compared to 2020, while just 7% anticipate a decrease.
Respondents are investing in network upgrades to improve efficiency (46%), reduce costs (43%) and improve security (42%).
IT Pros Favor 4G, Not 5G, for IoT Connectivity
“Today a range of connectivity technologies are available for enterprises deploying IoT applications. In fact, eight different technologies were chosen by at least 15% of respondents,” said Josh Builta, program director for IoT. Respondents are most likely to have deployed 4G/LTE (53%) to support IoT technologies, followed by Wi-Fi 5 or earlier-generation protocols (42%) and 5G (39%). The survey also indicated a variety of low power wireless technologies, to include LoRa, NB IoT and LTE-M are also seeing uptake in a growing portion of IoT deployments.
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