According to a report by Juniper Research, the amount of data generated by roaming internet of things (IoT) connections globally will increase from 86 petabytes (PB) in 2022 to 1,100 PB by 2027. This represents enough data to stream 165 million hours of 4K video from online entertainment and gaming platforms such as Netflix.
As per the report, the growth will be driven by the termination of 3G networks, necessitating the adoption of low-power cellular networks. Only 2 per cent of the total IoT roaming connections will rely on 5G networks by 2027, due to low power consumption and infrequent data transmission exhibited by the majority of devices. Only use cases dependent on low latency and high-speed data downloads will justify enterprise investment in 5G connectivity.
The report revealed that low-power wide-area networks provide a low-cost alternative to established operator-led cellular networks, such as 4G and 5G, driving the growth of IoT roaming connections through low-power and high-penetration coverage.
Further, the report forecast that roaming IoT connections from the US will generate 277 PB of data by 2027, accounting for 26 per cent of the total globally.
