Report: Use of machine-to-machine devices in IoT test market to grow by 2025

Demand for machine-to-machine (M2M) devices has waned due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but is expected to rebound by 2021 and make significant gains in the next few years, indicates a recent study by Frost & Sullivan.

The report, titled Growth Opportunities in Test and Measurement in the IoT Market, Forecast to 2025, finds that while demand for M2M devices has decreased in 2020, revenue will ultimately expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1 per cent to reach $3.25 billion by 2025, up from $2.40 billion in 2019.

This will have a significant impact on the demand for testing equipment that validates the performance of M2M devices (with the exception of equipment for connected health applications, which are currently in demand to track and treat people affected by COVID-19).

Defining M2M devices

For the purposes of this study, the firm defines IoT test and measurement equipment as that which is focused on testing the performance of IoT devices and the network as well as on monitoring the performance of the network and the application on the IoT devices after the deployment.

IoT devices that are being tested have a network element associated with it. The testing of chipsets, modules, routers and gateways are covered, but the testing of elements that do not directly communicate with the IoT ecosystem, such as actuators and sensors, are not included.

Key considerations

“5G development for IoT use cases will continue to be important during the pandemic. Given the complex nature of its deployment, there would be a requirement for software-based testing solutions that can test virtualized 5G network slices as well as test broad frequency spectrums,” says Rohan Joy Thomas, measurement and instrumentation industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan, in a statement.

“Going forward, understanding the performance of proprietary applications on connected devices outside the enterprise secure network infrastructure is a key challenge that test and measurement companies need to resolve.”

The study also names additional challenges, such as cybersecurity concerns over mass deployment of connected devices and modules, as well as a lack of adequate standardization and policy regulation on the market as a whole.

Recommendations for vendors

The proliferation of IoT across industries has presented growth opportunities for market participants involved in the IoT test and measurement space. The report makes several recommendations for vendors:

• Develop solutions that can test high-speed Ethernet interfaces as well as physical entities.
• Provide over-the-air testing solutions that can test sub-6 gigahertz as well as higher millimetre wave applications.
• Introduce enhanced software testing capabilities along with artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cybersecurity to enhance the portfolio
• Provide solutions that can regulate the consumption of energy from connected devices operating at narrowband frequencies and low energy levels, thereby increasing the device’s longevity.