Cisco, Telefónica, Verizon Retain ‘Pacesetter’ Positions in 2026 IoT Connectivity Management Platform Rankings
- Execution now matters more than features as CMP capabilities converge, enabling Cisco, Telefónica and Verizon to retain their Pacesetter positions through scale, reliability and faster rollout of new capabilities.
- Enterprises are demanding more from CMPs, with growing focus on AI, single-pane-of-glass visibility and advanced analytics rather than basic connectivity management.
- SGP.32 adoption will define the next competitive phase, with providers differentiated by how effectively they translate deeper platform capabilities into scaled deployments and connection growth.
Seoul, Beijing, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Fort Collins, Hong Kong, London, New Delhi, Taipei, Tokyo – January 21, 2026
Cisco, Telefónica and Verizon have retained their “Pacesetter” positions in Counterpoint Research’s Global IoT Connectivity Management Platform Rankings, 2026, reflecting continued investment in platform depth, execution strength and large-scale enterprise deployments.
Commenting on the evolving market landscape, Research Director Mohit Agrawal said: “Connectivity remains the foundation of IoT deployments, but the expectations from connectivity management platforms (CMPs) have evolved significantly. Customers no longer look only for seamless, global connectivity. They now demand platforms that are robust, scalable and continuously evolving. Each year, we see a steady expansion of platform capabilities, and as a result, feature-level differentiation, particularly among Leaders, is increasingly narrowing. In this environment, competitive advantage is determined less by the feature checklist and more by market execution, reliability at scale, and the speed at which new capabilities are implemented and commercialized.”
Counterpoint CORE Connectivity Management Platform Rankings, 2026
Source: Counterpoint’s Global IoT Connectivity Management Platform Rankings, 2026
Agrawal further added: “While we have seen limited movement between segments this year, competition within each segment has clearly intensified. Vendors are increasingly differentiating through the rollout of AI features, single-pane-of-glass capabilities, stronger analytics and improved UI/UX. As SGP.32 moves closer to mainstream adoption, the next phase of competition will be defined by how effectively providers translate deeper platform capabilities into scaled deployments and sustained connection growth.”
Principal Analyst Tina Lu noted: “Cisco, Verizon and Telefónica have continued to advance both their platforms and connection bases in a steady and consistent manner. Their proactive adoption of next-generation capabilities, including AI, alongside strong execution in provisioning, security, billing and analytics, has supported their strong positioning in this year’s rankings.”
Vodafone, Aeris and Deutsche Telekom stand out as the “Leaders” closest to the Pacesetters, supported by strong roadmap execution. Vodafone has expanded its single-pane-of-glass capabilities, Aeris continues to differentiate through IoT Watchtower as a benchmark for IoT security, and Deutsche Telekom has accelerated the integration of AI across its CMP.
Leading IoT MVNOs such as Soracom, Eseye, Tata Communications, floLIVE, emnify, Wireless Logic, Cubic 3, Kore Wireless and 1NCE are increasingly competing head-to-head with carrier-grade CMP providers like Airlinq, Comarch and WhaleCloud. Together, these players now offer highly capable platforms backed by clear development roadmaps, positioning them to scale connections and expand enterprise adoption over the next year.
Among the “Challengers”, G+D, BICS, Velos and Mavoco continue to move closer to the Leaders quadrant with well-rounded platforms and a growing focus on scale. At the same time, “Upstarts” such as Huawei, NTT DATA–Transatel, Telit Cinterion and Linksfield are demonstrating strong go-to-market momentum and will focus on adding more native CMP features to strengthen their competitive position.
Finally, “Niche” players including 1oT, iBASIS and Semtech bring differentiated CMP capabilities as part of their broader IoT and connectivity portfolios. Their platforms are closely aligned with strengths in multi-operator orchestration, wholesale connectivity and device enablement respectively, making them well-suited for targeted use cases that require specialized CMP capabilities alongside deep domain expertise.
The CMP rankings survey is one of the most comprehensive surveys on the topic. It involves 29 players through multiple interviews and research spanning more than six months. The comprehensive and in-depth Cellular IoT Connectivity Landscape and Connectivity Management Platform Rankings reports are available. Please contact Counterpoint Research to gain access to them.
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Counterpoint Research is a global market research firm specializing in products across the technology ecosystem. We advise a diverse range of clients – from smartphone OEMs to chipmakers and channel players to Big Tech – through our offices located in the world's major innovation hubs, manufacturing clusters and commercial centers. Our analyst team, led by seasoned experts, engages with stakeholders across the enterprise – from the C-suite to professionals in strategy, analyst relations (AR), market intelligence (MI), business intelligence (BI), product and marketing – to deliver services spanning market data, industry thought leadership and consulting. Our core areas of coverage include AI, Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Displays, eSIM, IoT, Location Platforms, Macroeconomics, Manufacturing, Networks and Infrastructure, Semiconductors, Smartphones and Wearables. Visit our Insights page to explore our publicly available market data, insights and thought leadership, and to understand our focus, meet our analysts and start a conversation.
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Author
Mohit Agrawal
Mohit is responsible for tracking Digital Transformation and Internet of Things (IoT) at Counterpoint Research. He has over two decades of rich industry experience having worked with large tech companies like Accenture, Airtel, Nokia, and Microsoft in the past. Before joining Counterpoint, Mohit was the co-founder & CEO of a start-up in the competitive and market intelligence space utilizing big data and AI. He is a keen follower of the developments in devices and key internet technologies like IoT, Blockchain, AI, etc. Mohit is an engineer, MBA and a certified project management professional. He is based out of The Hague in Netherlands.
Tina Lu
Tina has extensive consulting and analysis experience across a number of industry sectors including more than 14 years in the technology industry. Before Counterpoint, Tina spent more than 9 years in Nokia working in multiple roles and geographic regions. Tina also worked in brand and product marketing for Bestfoods-Unilever and BGH. Tina holds an MBA degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.