emnify to explore the expansion of its IoT SuperNetwork with low-earth-orbit (LEO) 5G satellite connectivity partner OQTEC

emnify, the leading IoT connectivity partner to the innovators building our connected world, today announced a new strategic and technological partnership with LEO satellite IoT connectivity provider, OQTEC.

The partnership further strengthens emnify’s position at the forefront of a nascent revolution in IoT connectivity, with the convergence of cellular and satellite connectivity from a single SIM and platform opening new use cases and geographies for its customers.

With 10 commercial low-earth-orbit satellites accessible today and more planned for the future, OQTEC’s satellite portfolio could further extend emnify’s combined cellular and satellite service footprint beyond its current geostationary satellite offering. The combination of emnify’s IoT SuperNetwork and OQTEC’s LEO satellite constellation would make more use cases and geographies available to emnify’s customers that require lower latency and higher bandwidth satellite IoT connectivity. Such use cases include remote asset tracking and monitoring, smart agriculture and predictive maintenance.

Alexander Schebler, VP of Network Access at emnify, says: “emnify’s partnership with OQTEC represents a significant step forward in the IoT industry. For too long, enterprises have been forced to rely on costly and often proprietary satellite network services for wireless IoT solutions in remote locations, limiting their ability to fully capitalize on the potential of their device fleets. With OQTEC’s 5G satellite NTN technology, we will explore how together we can break down those barriers by delivering a faster, truly cost-effective and universally accessible solution for all emnify customers.”

Omar Qaise, founder and CEO at OQTEC, confirms:

“We are excited to partner with emnify and explore the opportunity to make our satellite network available for all its customers worldwide. With our 10 existing satellites and more to be launched we could expand emnify’s SuperNetwork while offering low latency and large capacity communication via our 3GPP standard based LEO satellite constellation.”

“This partnership represents a breakthrough in IoT connectivity, where satellite and terrestrial mobile communications systems converge seamlessly to ensure reliable connectivity even outside of cellular range to empower customers to realize the full value of their device fleets via their existing emnify cloud infrastructure. The collaboration shows emnify’s continued ambition to deliver global coverage where you need it, when you need it, and how you need it, even in hard-to-reach places,” says Alexander Schebler.

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Chirp joins industry body to grow the IoT industry across software-based LPWAN protocols

Decentralized telecommunications network Chirp is pleased to announce that it has joined the mioty® alliance, the leading organization for Massive Internet of Things (IoT) applications that brings together industry and community for robust, efficient connectivity solutions.

The mioty alliance promotes the adoption of mioty (My Internet of Things) – a software-based low-power, wide-area network (LPWAN) protocol developed to overcome wireless connectivity limitations. The protocol boasts best-in-class reliability and scalability and is designed for massive industrial and commercial IoT deployments.

Thanks to the Telegram Splitting Multiple Access (TSMA) method, data is transmitted in several smaller sub-packets at different times and frequencies, which ensures high interference immunity and extremely low power consumption. This is particularly useful in the smart city and smart building sectors with many end devices, with applications including sensor data transmission and status updates.

While decentralization has proven effective in expanding Radio Access Networks, relying solely on LoRaWAN does not address the fundamental issue of fragmentation within the IoT space. Chirp’s goal is to create a unified Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem that seamlessly connects devices, regardless of their wireless protocols. In this ecosystem, Chirp’s community will be able to operate the network protocol that is in the highest demand, allowing the market to determine the types of coverage needed and where.

By joining the mioty alliance, Chirp is expanding its reach and adding support for additional wireless protocols. In return, mioty has the opportunity to grow its technology globally through Chirp’s decentralized community of Keepers, who provide coverage through Chirp’s antennas and miners. This will further enhance the adoption and effectiveness of mioty’s solutions across diverse markets.

Commenting on the announcement, Tim Kravchunovsky, Founder and CEO of Chirp, says: “Chirp’s mission is to simplify usage and eliminate barriers in the IoT landscape – we believe end users shouldn’t need to concern themselves with different technologies or understand their intricacies. As one of the early members of the mioty alliance, we will have the opportunity to shape the future of the mioty protocol and promote its use across the IoT network.”

Peter Hedberg, General Manager of mioty alliance, adds:

“mioty® is on a journey to become a worldwide standard for massive IoT applications. The technology is well proven by now, especially in Europe, and the mioty® Alliance is set for expansion. Chirp’s know-how and position as an Enterprise IoT provider adds tremendous value to a big chunk of the mioty® ecosystem and will open up new and mutual opportunities.”

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80% of responding organizations consider mobile devices critical to their operations, while 95% are actively using IoT devices
96% of critical infrastructure respondents use IoT devices, with 53% having experienced a significant mobile or IoT device-related security incident
77% of respondents anticipate that AI-assisted attacks, such as deep fakes and SMS phishing, are likely to succeed

Today, Verizon Business released its 2024 Mobile Security Index (MSI) report outlining the top threats to mobile and IoT device security.

This year’s report, in its seventh iteration, goes beyond employee-level mobile usage and extends into the usage of IoT devices and sensors and the security concerns the growth of these devices can present especially as remote work continues to be a trend. This expanded view of mobile security concerns for organizations showcases the evolving threat landscape that CIOs and other IT decision-makers must contend with.

As dependency on mobile devices grows, so too do the risks, especially in critical infrastructure sectors where the consequences of security breaches can be catastrophic. The 2024 MSI, which surveyed 600 people responsible for security strategy, policy and management, underscores this point.

Employees are using more mobile and IoT devices, leading to increased cyber risks

The survey finds that 80% of respondents consider mobile devices critical to their operations, while 95% are actively using IoT devices. However, this heavy reliance comes with significant security concerns. In critical infrastructure sectors, where 96% of

respondents report using IoT devices, and more than half state that they have experienced severe security incidents that led to data loss or system downtime.

“These findings highlight the continued friction that employers face as more and more work is done on personal mobile devices,” said Phil Hochmuth Research VP, of enterprise mobility at IDC. “This is why we are seeing more and more employers move from a pure bring-your-own-device model to employer-provided devices where CIOs can have greater governance to protect critical infrastructure from cyber attacks.”

Additionally, Hochmuth says, organizations should adopt robust frameworks such as Zero Trust and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) 2.0, and comply with mandates like the European Union’s NIS2 Directive.

Emerging AI cyber threats meet new AI defenses

Emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are expected to exacerbate the mobile threat landscape, but it also presents opportunities for defence. A striking 77% of respondents anticipate that AI-assisted attacks, such as deepfakes and SMS phishing, are likely to succeed. At the same time, 88% of critical infrastructure respondents acknowledge the growing importance of AI-assisted cybersecurity solutions.

Accounting for IoT growth in cybersecurity planning

With companies increasingly deploying IoT devices, their digital landscapes are evolving, creating a need for cybersecurity strategies to evolve in kind.

“The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is giving rise to a massive expansion in mobile device technology that goes well beyond phones, tablets and laptops. Enterprise networks now include all sorts of sensors and purpose-built devices that monitor, measure, manage and control commercial tasks and data flow,” said TJ Fox, SVP of Industrial IoT and Automotive, Verizon Business.

“That IIoT growth brings with it a proportionate need for more knowledge, awareness and IT solutions to ensure the security of those increasingly sophisticated networks. The growing importance that IoT plays in our customer’s technology ecosystem underscores why it should be a component in any sound cybersecurity program.”

What business leaders should know

The 2024 MSI helps inform cybersecurity decisions for leaders of businesses of all sizes and in key sectors. As mobile and IoT threats rise, the need for robust security measures has never been greater. In response to these growing threats, 84% of

respondents have increased their mobile device security spending over the past year, with 89% of critical infrastructure respondents planning further increases.

This year’s MSI includes contributions from Verizon’s partners including Ivanti, Lookout, Jam and Lookoutf, among others. Help your organization lower cyber risks by deploying comprehensive security protections, continuous employee education and advanced threat detection capabilities.

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New AI-focused tools and integrations for embedded engineers aim to simplify building AI-enabled IoT applications for microcontrollers.

Golioth, the IoT development platform, has announced its new AI-ready IoT infrastructure for microcontrollers, designed to streamline AI training, deployment, and model execution on IoT data, both on devices and in the cloud.

With this release and new partnerships, Golioth is empowering enterprise customers to efficiently integrate AI into their operations through the Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT), to innovate and improve products faster.

New Developer Tooling: A Necessary Advancement for Enabling AIoT

The IoT industry is notably complex, with over 4 trillion decision permutations facing embedded engineers. As AI adoption increases across industries, Golioth’s new AI capabilities aim to simplify integrating AI into IoT products by reducing the decision-load with flexible AI infrastructure. Key features include streaming large unstructured data files such as images and audio, targeted over-the-air (OTA) updates for AI models, and integrations with AI platforms including Edge Impulse, Replicate, and Hugging Face within the Golioth Pipelines product.

Golioth Founder and CEO Jonathan Beri explains, “When IoT developers are still struggling with basic IoT infrastructure problems like connectivity and device security, AI—while a very real business priority—can really slow down IoT projects.”

“Golioth simplifies IoT development by providing IoT infrastructure as middleware. Adding AI into the development workflow in a low-friction way positions Golioth as the platform of choice for building AI-enabled applications, making it easier for companies to deploy, manage, and continuously improve AI models with IoT data.”

Golioth’s Key AI Features

To enable AI on IoT devices, Golioth has focused on delivering three key features:

Large Unstructured Data Streaming

Golioth supports streaming rich media data such as images and audio from devices to the cloud for analysis and training. This capability allows developers to use high-resolution images from AI-connected cameras in computer vision applications, or audio-clips from security sensors or natural language processors, for advanced analysis. Partnering with Edge Impulse, Golioth can stream IoT data directly for advanced model training, unlocking new data sources for creating and refining AI models.

“The integration of Edge Impulse and Golioth takes the complexity out of deploying edge AI models and IoT tools,” says Zach Shelby, CEO and co-founder of Edge Impulse. “It’s a great match for solving real use cases, from predictive maintenance to environmental monitoring to cargo tracking and more, and will drive exciting innovation in many areas.”

Golioth also supports object storage destinations including AWS S3, Google Cloud Storage, and Azure Blob Storage, providing flexible and scalable options for storing and analyzing large datasets.

Flexible OTA Updates

Golioth’s OTA system now supports larger artifacts and a broader range of asset types, including AI models and media files. This enhancement simplifies the deployment of AI models to devices, ensuring that models remain up-to-date with the latest capabilities, facilitating efficient model deployment and updates.

Tomas Beklin, CTO of Flox Robotics remarks, “Golioth’s flexible OTA updates and large image upload capabilities have accelerated our product development. These features allow us to quickly deploy AI deterrent systems to keep wild animals away from areas where they are not supposed to be.”

New AI Pipelines Integrations

Golioth Pipelines now supports running AI models on live IoT data, integrating with leading AI platforms like Hugging Face and Replicate, as well as OpenAI and Anthropic. This allows companies to perform advanced AI analysis on IoT data both on devices and in the cloud, enabling AI-driven insights and automation by routing results to any cloud destination. This integration also allows companies to leverage AI in the cloud without modifying existing devices or requiring specialized hardware to run AI models at the edge.

The Real Case for Businesses to Innovate and Adopt AI

With the recent explosion of generative AI, Golioth has been carefully evaluating the space for practical solutions. Golioth Head of Product, Dylan Swartz, explains, “We wanted our AI tools to truly empower our customers. By interviewing them, we identified their real needs and built a suite of capabilities tailored to those needs, ensuring practical and impactful AI solutions that benefit sustainability initiatives and our planet.”

Clive Pinfold, CEO of Heatr, a company focused on optimizing New Zealand’s energy grid, echoes that sentiment, “With Golioth, we are building AI-enabled devices for energy grids that optimize energy use and contribute to a greener planet today. The platform’s robust Pipelines feature allows us to stream live data to our cloud AI models, enabling rapid innovation and more efficient, sustainable energy consumption.”

For companies with existing expertise in AI and building AI-enabled products, Golioth provides necessary tools to streamline processes. Those organizations new to AI, Golioth simplifies AI integration without the need to build AI infrastructure, allowing them to leverage powerful AI functionalities with minimal effort.

Innovation in the hardware sector is also supporting the growth of AI. Kwabena Agyeman, CEO of OpenMV, a company focused on making high-performance, low-power microcontroller boards, states, “There’s going to be an explosion of low-power AI capable microcontrollers soon embedded in everything. New chips are hitting the market that are 100 to 300 times faster in real use cases than microcontroller systems before. We’re happy to see Golioth building out the pipelines necessary for these new systems to reach their full potential.”

Golioth for AI Limited-Time Launch Exclusives

In support of the launch, Golioth is offering a $1000 credit to new customers now through October 31st, 2024. As a bonus, new customers that launch any size fleet and start streaming within 30 days of activation can enjoy an additional $1000 credit on any AI-related data destination. In addition, Replicate is offering a $500 credit to any new customers from Golioth.

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The IoT platform utilises AI to boost operational efficiency, automate processes, and unlock new possibilities for businesses in today’s rapidly growing digital ecosystems.

Hayo, a global innovator in digital solutions for governments, enterprises and service providers, has launched its global Internet of things (IoT) platform.

The platform supports Machine-to-Machine (M2M) and consumer IoT use cases, and can be used by both mobile network operators (MNOs) and enterprises. MNOs can white label and resell Hayo’s platform as their own to monetise the growing opportunities in IoT around the world. It makes it simple to capture new revenue and serve enterprise demands across verticals like agriculture, healthcare, transportation and more.

“We are continually innovating in digital solutions to solve real-world challenges with simple and powerful solutions, and IoT is a very exciting space to be in,” said Feraz Ahmed, CEO at Hayo. “Launching our IoT platform is an important step in our roadmap. It will not only enable business customers to create new revenue streams, but also have a positive impact on local people’s lives. IoT has a huge variety of use cases across multiple industry verticals. It’s accelerating digital transformation, enabling seamless connectivity between medical devices, boosting efficiency and profits for local farmers, and so much more.”

Hayo’s IoT platform is powered by a cloud-native full core network, with high speed and performance to enable devices to seamlessly communicate and share data intelligence. It utilises advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to analyse and derive meaningful insights from this data, facilitating informed decision-making for businesses. This enhances operational efficiency, automates processes, and unlocks new possibilities for businesses in today’s rapidly growing digital ecosystems. The platform also provides real-time billing, multi-IMSI SIM management, automation, seamless connectivity management, monitoring and more.

“Hayo provides expert support end-to-end to help MNOs maximise IoT monetisation, and the web portal can be fully customised with our customers’ logos, brand colours and imagery,” added Ahmed. “Hayo’s global carrier network makes it simple for MNOs to seamlessly expand their global reach to areas not covered by existing roaming agreements. It’s a highly fast and cost-efficient way of entering the market, with no upfront investments and a flexible business model. We combine networking, technologies, and digital solutions to deliver on-the-ground innovation that has a positive impact on local people’s lives.”

Hayo has more than 1,000 service provider and operator relationships across the globe. It will be announcing a growing number of projects, investments and partnerships over the next 12 months all focused on using technology to have a positive impact on local people’s lives and accelerating on-the-ground innovation across digital ecosystems.

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The new way of connecting smart sensors fills out Vodafone’s Internet of Things portfolio, ensuring there’s a connection method to suit every need.

Vodafone enables Long Term Evolution for Machines, an alternative Internet of Things service for customers to bring low-data use cases to life in an affordable way.
New offering sits alongside 4G, 5G and Narrowband-IoT services, as well as the wider partner ecosystem, to enable Vodafone to work with any business – irrelevant of the technical requirements of the Internet of Things use case.

Vodafone has enabled its Long Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-M) offering for business customers, also referred to as CAT-M, a complementary Internet of Things (IoT) service focusing on low-powered, low-data use cases.

LTE-M is designed for IoT services that are not connected to mains electricity and only transmit small amounts of data. Due to these requirements, the IoT devices need a connectivity service that is fit-for-purpose.

Nick Gliddon, Business Director, Vodafone UK, said: “When you have a data-led business, decisions are driven by insight not by assumption. IoT has the potential to revolutionise business, but we must make it accessible to all.”

“The power of LTE-M is the ability to choose the right tools for the right job. 5G might be the right choice for some IoT use cases, whereas LTE-M might be better for others.”

“By enabling LTE-M to sit alongside 4G, 5G and NB-IoT, we are providing a technology-agnostic solution for customers. This is about picking the right solution, at the right price point.”

Completing the IoT portfolio

While 4G and 5G solutions are available for IoT use cases that require high data throughput, constant connectivity and low latency to respond in micro- or milliseconds, LTE-M and NB-IoT are designed for low data throughput and non-time sensitive use cases. LTE-M can provide continuous connectivity and low latency services in some scenarios, but only to facilitate small data batches. 

LTE-M and NB-IoT differ in their typical download/upload speeds (300 kbps and 20 kbps respectively). NB-IoT is optimised for difficult to reach locations and batch data upload (such as underground water pipes or smart meters in basements), while LTE-M is optimised for mobility (such as asset tracking and wearable devices) and event-based connectivity. 

Similar to NB-IoT, LTE-M is a Low Powered, Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technology. This not only means its signal travels further than 4G and 5G signals. It is also designed to preserve the battery life of the devices themselves. LPWAN technology can allow IoT devices to operate reliably for up to 10 years on a single battery charge.

What IoT service is right for different use cases?

Building the business case for IoT

With Vodafone able to offer LTE-M, NB-IoT, 4G and 5G IoT connectivity to customers, there is a technology solution available for every type of use case and every customer’s needs. Vodafone can also support customers on a wider digital transformation journey, thanks to investments in other technology segments (such as Mobile Private Networks and Multi-access Edge Compute), as well as developing partner ecosystems to help create applications and services. 

All Vodafone IoT customers also gain access to Vodafone’s own Managed IoT Connectivity Platform to provide intelligence into how devices are performing with advanced service diagnostic and analytics tools to manage operations in real-time, as well as a range of APIs to integrate with customer backend IT systems. 

Customers can also leverage Vodafone’s global network presence, and its relationships with roaming and technology providers to create a single interface to the world of IoT connectivity. With 1,400 dedicated IoT professionals across five continents, supporting 160 million IoT connections, Vodafone can support all use cases from local to multi-national. 

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A new report from the IoT market research firm Berg Insight says that global IoT connectivity revenues increased 16 percent to reach € 12.4 billion in 2023.

The advancement of the industry drives a shift towards greater focus on reliability, security and support for international deployments, contributing to new types of market dynamics for cellular IoT connectivity providers.

By 2028, Berg Insight projects that there will be 6.0 billion IoT devices connected to cellular networks worldwide, generating annual connectivity revenues of € 21.0 billion.

The top ten mobile operators reported a combined active base of 2.9 billion cellular IoT connections at the end of 2023, accounting for 88 percent of the total 3.3 billion connections. China Mobile is the world’s largest provider of cellular IoT connectivity services with 1.32 billion cellular IoT connections. China Telecom and China Unicom ranked second and third with 527 million and 494 million connections respectively. Vodafone ranked first among the Western operators and fourth overall with 184 million connections, followed by AT&T with 128 million in fifth place. Deutsche Telekom and Verizon had in the range of 50–57 million cellular IoT connections each. Telefónica, KDDI and Orange were the last players in the top ten with about 41 million, 40 million and 37 million connections respectively. The growth in the installed bases of the largest mobile operators varied, with changes ranging from a 1 percent decrease to a 31 percent increase year-on-year.

IoT managed service providers play a key role in the ecosystem. Most players operate as full MVNOs, typically offering IoT connectivity services based on a mix of roaming and local access agreements and sometimes also value-added services targeted at vertical segments. Notable examples include 1GLOBAL, 1NCE, Aeris, BICS, Cubic Telecom, emnify, Eseye, floLIVE, KORE, Soracom, Tata Communications, Telit Cinterion, Velos IoT and Wireless Logic. Altogether, IoT managed service providers had more than 200 million cellular IoT connections under management at the end of 2023 and around € 1.7 billion in annual revenues.

International connectivity constitutes one of the largest and fastest growing segments of the cellular IoT market. Mobile operators with regional and multi-regional operations are naturally positioned to offer IoT connectivity services for international deployments at competitive rates, leveraging their network footprints and ability to negotiate favourable roaming agreements. The priorities of many mobile operators and their IoT businesses however grow to become increasingly misaligned, as the telecom industry trends towards increased consolidation of operations to key markets and integration of fixed and mobile network operations. This has led to a greater separation between mobile operators’ IoT businesses and network operations, resulting in more open approaches to global network access in line with the strategies of IoT managed service providers.

Established IoT managed service providers however typically have more advanced localisation capabilities through IMSI and eSIM profile donor agreements. Going forward, Berg Insight believes that the separation of IoT connectivity businesses and networks will continue, driven by changing industry dynamics and a shift to new eSIM technologies. This implies a strong case for global consolidation of cellular IoT connectivity platforms.

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Digital Matter, a global leader in low-power GPS and IoT hardware development, has developed future-proof tracking solutions, supporting worldwide supply chain visibility and logistics tracking across most of the world’s cellular networks.

Digital Matter’s global GPS tracking devices have successfully connected in 64 countries to date, and directly address the connectivity challenges that enterprises in key regions face when requiring asset visibility across different networks and borders. 4G Cat 1bis emerges as a reliable and comprehensive global connectivity solution, benefiting from established networks and existing roaming agreements.

“Many of our partners require a ‘truly global’ connectivity solution,” says Ken Everett, CEO and Founder of Digital Matter.

“We are excited to offer a solution that addresses these needs, enhancing supply chain and logistics visibility in key regions that previously faced geographic limitations.”

Digital Matter’s global portfolio is designed to support businesses operating in regions where 2G remains prevalent or LTE-M/NB-IoT networks are not consistently available. Enterprises that need to track assets moving in and out of these regions, rely solely on 2G or require global roaming capability, have previously faced significant visibility limitations. The effective deployment of GPS asset tracking in global supply chains allows businesses to optimize routes, reduce idle times, and enhance asset recovery security.

Digital Matter global devices leverage 4G Cat 1bis with 2G fallback, ensuring continuous connectivity and supply chain management. This future-proof solution allows devices perform across borders and to seamlessly migrate to 4G Cat1bis as 2G networks continue to sunset.

Digital Matter’s global portfolio includes the battery-powered Oyster3 Global and Remora3 Global, ultra-rugged and waterproof with a ‘deploy once’ battery life that can last up to 10+ years, reducing the need for frequent battery replacements.

In addition to GPS, the Remora3 Global also features Bluetooth, enabling communication with nearby Bluetooth tags, sensors, and beacons for flexible tagged asset and condition monitoring, including temperature, humidity, impact detection, and more.

Battery-powered devices are crucial for supply chain and logistics operations, which often rely on battery-powered solutions to track non-powered assets such as containers, packaging, and goods in transit.

Digital Matter’s partners can now access new market segments and offer improved supply chain and logistics solutions in key regions once limited by connectivity and device compatibility.

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New partnership brings Particle tools and infrastructure together with Skylo satellite network to unlock new connectivity solutions.

Skylo Technologies, the pioneer in non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications, and Particle, the leading edge-to-cloud infrastructure for the IoT, have partnered to streamline satellite connectivity, management, and deployment for developers.

The integration of Skylo’s satellite connectivity with Particle’s IoT platform provides developers a comprehensive, multi-radio solution for building and deploying IoT products without having to worry about whether they have cellular coverage or not. This solution includes access to Particle’s device management services, data intelligence tools, and secure, scalable cloud infrastructure, all optimized for use with NTN connectivity powered by Skylo. For the first time, developers will be able to connect directly to Skylo’s NTN through the Particle IoT Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS).

“Skylo’s mission has always been to make satellite connectivity available to all, and by partnering with Particle, we are empowering developers to create a completely new generation of IoT solutions that were previously unimaginable,” said Parthsarathi Trivedi, CEO and co-founder of Skylo. “This breakthrough in IoT development provides a seamless, reliable link between edge devices and the cloud, regardless of location.”

“With Particle’s expertise in IoT technology and Skylo’s innovative approach to satellite communications, we are thrilled to embark on this journey together,” said Zach Supalla, CEO of Particle.

“This partnership is about more than just technology; it’s about unlocking new possibilities for developers and businesses, enabling them to build solutions that can truly make a difference in the world.”

Applications range from precision agriculture and maritime logistics to environmental monitoring and emergency services, all of which require consistent and reliable communication capabilities.

Developers interested in leveraging this groundbreaking technology can expect the NTN-accessible M-SoM system-on-module and Muon development board to be available for order through Particle’s store in the coming months. Skylo and Particle will provide ongoing support and resources to ensure developers can maximize the potential of their IoT projects. Skylo requires certification for devices, chipsets and modules to seamlessly integrate into the Skylo network. More information on certification can be found here.

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IoT Analytics, based on its recently published IoT Startup Landscape 2024 Report and Database, has identified over 3,300 IoT startups in 2024.

Geographically, while North America remains a dominant region as it accounts for 36% of the total startups, Asia-Pacific has emerged as a major growth market, representing 24% of all IoT startups. Several large investments were made in individual IoT hardware companies. Furthermore, IoT startups continue to prioritize the manufacturing sector, but there is growing interest in smart city and energy/utility applications. The incorporation of AI capabilities is becoming increasingly prevalent, while analytics remains the most common offering.

Key insights:

There are over 3,300 active IoT startups, according to the latest 83-page IoT Startup Landscape 2024 Report and Database—a steep rise over the 1,205 identified in 2021.
7 notable insights standout about the IoT startup landscape 2024: 1) Increasing share of startups in APAC, 2) A Chinese company has the highest funding, 3) Large investments into individual IoT hardware startups, 4) Techstars remains the top investor, 5) Shifting focus toward cities and energy/utilities, 6) AI taking a foothold, and 7) Analytics is the most common offering.

Select quotes:

Knud Lasse Lueth, CEO at IoT Analytics, comments that

“As the focus intensifies on AI, it is important not to overlook other flourishing tech sectors like IoT. Our research identified over 3,300 companies in the connected IoT devices ecosystem founded in the last 8 years. While only 5% of these IoT startups explicitly focus on AI, there is a growing trend towards AIoT, the integration of AI and IoT.”

Zeynep Kaman, Market Analyst at IoT Analytics, adds that “The IoT startup landscape is more vibrant than ever, with over 3,300 identified startups globally. While North America continues to lead in the number of startups, the significant rise in the Asia-Pacific region highlights a growing diversification in the market. The substantial funding in semiconductor and AI sectors in both APAC and North America is important for driving technological advancements. Additionally, the integration of AI in IoT solutions is becoming increasingly prevalent, enhancing the capabilities of IoT technologies and enabling real-time data analysis and decision-making.”

IoT startup landscape overview in 2024

The number of identified active IoT startups rose 2.7x between 2021 and 2024. Research for IoT Analytics’ 83-page IoT Startup Landscape 2024 Report and Database identified over 3,300 IoT startups—a steep rise over the 1,205 identified active startups in 2021. While part of this comes down to IoT Analytics’ more sophisticated methodology to find all possible startups in 2024, this increase highlights the vibrancy of the IoT community.

7 notable research insights

The IoT startups report offers a more detailed landscape overview with deep dives into IoT startup data by technology, region, and industry (with the accompanying database offering more granular data). Additionally, the IoT Analytics analyst team identifies their top 17 IoT startups and the reasons why. Among the many insights that can be derived from the report, here are 7 that stand out:

1. The share of IoT startups in APAC is increasing

North America has the most IoT startups, but Asia is gaining. Of the 3,300 identified startups, 36% are in North America, down from 41% in 2021. Meanwhile, 24% of IoT startups are in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, up from 16% in 2021, reflecting diversification in the IoT startup landscape. While the number of IoT startups in every tracked APAC country rose, India saw the highest climb compared to 2021, from 84 to 388.

2. US-based IoT startups top total funding share, but a Chinese IoT startup leads overall

The top 20 IoT startups collectively received 31% of all investments. Between 2016 and 2024, the top 20 IoT startups received nearly $6.7 billion in funding. While 11 of the 20 top funding earners were in the US, the China-based semiconductor company Eswin Computing received over $1 billion—the only company to pass the $1 billion mark. The second and third top funding earners are both from the US: Figure and Verkada.

IoT startup spotlight: Eswin Computing

Founded in 2016, Eswin Computing develops integrated chips and focuses on IoT connectivity and AI data processing, among other areas. Specifically for cellular IoT applications, Eswin produces WAN IoT ICs that operate under Cat.1 and Cat1 bis connectivity protocols, which are popular in China and have helped fuel the recent upswing in the cellular IoT module market.

3. Several large investment rounds for IoT hardware startups

Large funding amounts for IoT semiconductor and robotics startups. Capital-intensive investments into robotics and IoT semiconductor startups have seen a notable rise in recent years. Aforementioned Eswin Computing is one such company that has benefitted from the push for more chips post Covid—in 2021, it raised $473.7 million Series B and an additional $395.2 million Series C. The ongoing skilled labor shortage has given rise to new robotics startups . US-based Figure formed in 2022 to help companies address these issues by developing humanoid robots. It has raised a massive $675 million in Series B just this year.

IoT startup spotlight: Figure

US-based Figure is the highest-funded IoT startup in North America. Leveraging AI and human-like agility in its engineering, Figure develops autonomous, general-purpose humanoid robots aimed at helping companies address workforce challenges such as labor shortages or unsafe job tasks. In January 2024, Figure signed a commercial agreement with BMW to identify initial use cases for the robots and then deploy the developed robots to BMW’s manufacturing facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

4. Techstars remains the top IoT startup investor

Techstars continues to lead in IoT startup investments by a long shot. As of April 2024,US-based venture capital firm Techstars had invested in 73 still-active IoT startups founded between 2016 and 2024. This is more than double the amount of IoT startup investments from the US National Science Foundation—a federal agency that supports research and education across the sciences and engineering—which came in second with 31 investments in still-active IoT startups founded between 2016 and 2024. In IoT Analytics’ 2021 research into IoT startups, Techstars was the lead investor, while EASME (an EU initiative) was #2 and the EU-based Startup Bootcamp was #4. This time, no EU-based investor in the top 5.

IoT startup spotlight: Wakeo

France-based Wakeo is one of Techstar’s largest IoT startup investments, as of April 2024. The startup provides a software-as-a-service platform to help transportation companies maintain real-time visibility of their transport flows. Their solution not only helps companies optimize transport plans but also helps them measure and reduce transportation-related emissions, giving it a sustainability focus as well.

5. Manufacturing receives the most attention from IoT startups, but smart city- and energy/utility-focused startups gain traction

Over a quarter of startups focus on the manufacturing industry, but focus on cities and utilities is rising. Recently, there has been a shift in the focus of newly founded IoT startups from the manufacturing industry to sectors like smart cities and energy/utilities. While the overall share of active IoT startups targeting the manufacturing industry remains approximately 36%—still the highest—recent years show a declining trend. In 2023, only 28% of newly founded IoT startups targeted the manufacturing sector, down from 33% in 2021 and a peak of 40% in 2017.

Meanwhile, the shares of IoT startups focusing on other sectors are increasing. For instance, the overall shares for active IoT startups targeting smart cities and energy/utilities are approximately 10% each. However, in 2023, 13% of new IoT startups targeted smart cities, up from 11% in 2021, while 13% focused on energy/utilities, increasing from 7% in 2021. These trends suggest a shift in the target markets of newly founded IoT startups.

IoT startup spotlight: ZARIOT

Ireland-based ZARIOT is an IoT connectivity provider, focusing on security and protecting data over mobile network infrastructure. Founded in 2018, it covers a wide range of segments, including smart cities and energy/utilities.

One example of ZARIOT’s smart cities projects is their partnership with vadeCity, a Spain-based city-mobility-focused small-to-medium enterprise aiming to help companies achieve their sustainability goals. vadeCity’s bicycle and scooter system—all-in-one parking and charging stations for shared, private bicycles, e-bikes, and scooters—relies on mobile networks and 3-point security measures to protect private and public assets, which is where ZARIOT comes in with their focus on mobile security.

6. AI taking a foothold

Over 5% of IoT startups worldwide are focused on AI-based solutions. Of the 3,330 IoT startups that are currently active, only 175 (5.3%) have a visible AI focus as part of their IoT offering. IoT Analytics believes this number will increase strongly in the coming months and years, as the appetite for AIoT innovations in enterprises is strong and innovation in new fields often comes from startups. APAC has the highest share of AI-focused IoT startups at 6.3% of the region’s total startups.

IoT startup spotlight: ai-omatic

Germany-based ai-omatic is a deep-tech startup focusing on cloud- and AI-based software solutions for predictive maintenance. At Hannover Messe 2024, ai-omatic showcased its AI-powered predictive maintenance solution Digital Maintenance Assistant using a sensor connected to a motor. Company representatives highlighted that the solution gathers data directly from factory-level operations and leverages AI to analyze the data.

7. Analytics is the most common offering

3 in 5 IoT startups offer analytics. Many IoT startups cover more than one of the 13 parts of the IoT tech stack. Analytics stands out as the topmost covered technology element, with 61% of IoT startups offering it.

IoT startup spotlight: H2Ok Innovations

US-based H2Ok Innovations assists companies with data- and analytics-driven optimization of industrial liquid and fluid systems used in supply chain and manufacturing processes. Through H2Ok Innovation’s unique end-to-end solution comprising proprietary spectral sensors, machine learning at the edge, and an AI-based data analytics platform, companies can collect and analyze the data they need for accurate liquid management.

What it means for startups

5 questions that startup founders should ask themselves based on the insights in this article:

Market positioning: How can we differentiate our startup in the increasingly competitive IoT landscape?
Investor engagement: How can we effectively engage leading IoT startup investors like Techstars, and what key aspects of our startup should we highlight to attract their investment?
Industry focus: Should we target the traditionally dominant manufacturing sector, or pivot towards emerging sectors like smart cities and energy/utilities where there is growing interest?
AI Integration: How can we incorporate AI into our IoT solutions to capitalize on the growing trend of AIoT, and what specific AI-based features can set us apart from competitors?
Sustainability initiatives: How can we integrate sustainability into our IoT solutions, similar to Wakeo’s platform for optimizing transport flows and reducing emissions, to appeal to environmentally conscious clients and investors?

What it means for tech investors

5 questions that tech investors should ask themselves based on the insights in this article:

Market trends: How is the increasing share of IoT startups in APAC affecting the global market dynamics, and what opportunities or challenges does this present for potential investments?
Sector focus: With the shift from manufacturing to smart cities and energy/utilities, which sector holds the most potential for growth and return on investment in the coming years?
AI integration: Given the rising importance of AI in IoT startups, how can I identify startups that are effectively integrating AI to offer innovative and scalable solutions?
Sustainability impact: How do startups focusing on sustainability, like Wakeo, compare in terms of investment potential and long-term impact to those focusing purely on technological advancements?
Competitive landscape: How can I assess the competitive landscape of the IoT sector to identify which startups have a unique value proposition and a competitive edge over others?

Disclosure

Companies mentioned in this article—along with their products—are used as examples to showcase a vibrant IoT startup landscape. No company paid or received preferential treatment in this article, and it is at the discretion of the analyst to select which examples are used. IoT Analytics makes efforts to vary the companies and products mentioned to help shine attention to the numerous IoT and related technology market players.

It is worth noting that IoT Analytics may have commercial relationships with some companies mentioned in its articles, as some companies license IoT Analytics market research. However, for confidentiality, IoT Analytics cannot disclose individual relationships. Please contact compliance@iot-analytics.com for any questions or concerns on this front.

How IoT Analytics defines IoT startups

For the purposes of the IoT Startup Landscape 2024 Report and Database and this article, IoT Analytics defines an IoT startup as a company that is no older than 8 years, has not had an initial public offering (IPO), and has not been acquired. These companies must also focus on building solutions in at least one area of the IoT tech stack—hardware, connectivity, middleware and software infrastructure, and services.

IoT Analytics distinguishes 13 tech offering types among the 4 areas of the IoT tech stack:
IoT hardware

Processors/semiconductors
Devices (including sensors)
Developer boards/kits
Other hardware
Complete device

IoT connectivity

Communication protocols and services
Connectivity gateways/hubs/modules

IoT middleware and software infrastructure

IoT platforms
Analytics
IoT security
Databases

IoT services

Tool development
IoT development and system integration services

Research methodology

IoT Analytics compiled the data for the IoT Startups Database 2024. The foundational datasets were sourced from publicly available links on the internet through desktop research using various sources. All stats in the report and this article are as of April 2024.

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