Cellular Tracker & Forecasts Archives - Page 3 of 4

Qualcomm Retains Top Position in Global Cellular IoT Chipset Market in Q4 2021

Qualcomm, UNISOC and ASR were the top three cellular IoT chipset vendors in Q4 2021.
NB-IoT contributed to almost a third of the cellular IoT chipset shipments during the quarter.
Smart meter, POS, router/CPE, industrial and automotive were the top five applications in Q4 2021.

New Delhi, San Diego, Buenos Aires, London, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – April 12, 2022

Global cellular IoT chipset shipments grew 57% YoY in Q4 2021, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Tracker by Application. China continued to dominate the cellular IoT chipset market by accounting for nearly 60% of the shipments. 5G grew 392% YoY followed by 4G Cat 1 with 154% YoY growth. Router/CPE, PC and industrial were the top three applications for 5G.

Commenting on the market dynamics, Research Analyst Anish Khajuria said, “Qualcomm, UNISOC and ASR held the top three positions in the global cellular IoT chipset market in Q4 2021, accounting for nearly 75% of the total shipments. UNISOC, Qualcomm and ASR were the top three players in China. For the rest of the world, Qualcomm led the market, followed by UNISOC and Intel.”

Qualcomm led the global cellular IoT chipset market with a 38% share in terms of shipments. Qualcomm grew its share both annually and sequentially with traction across key segments such as automotive, router/CPE, retail, asset tracking and industrial IoT. However, competition from local players in China, such as UNISOC and ASR, in key fast-growing segments like LTE Cat-1/Cat-1 bis and NB-IoT limited Qualcomm’s growth opportunities in the world’s largest IoT market. However, Qualcomm has broadened its portfolio of IoT solutions, targeting specific verticals like retail, automotive, industrial IoT and smart cities. It has also launched an IoT services suite covering more than 30 verticals to enhance platform support for IoT-as-a-service (IoTaaS) applications and accelerator programs (like smart cities) with a more ecosystem-led approach bringing in different stakeholders across the value chain.

UNISOC, the second-largest cellular IoT chipset player globally, has been strong across NB-IoT and 4G Cat 1 technologies. Its cellular IoT chipset shipments growth has continued for nearly last four quarters and is able to fill the gap which HiSilicon left in the market. Moreover, it is making steady improvements in higher-end technologies such as 5G, 4G Cat 4 and above. It has also succeeded in expanding its customer base to Quectel, Fibocom, China Mobile and many more module players. This helped it to capture more than one-fourth of shipments in Q4 2021. UNISOC is focused on low-end applications like smart metering, POS and industrial. For 5G, it has launched the V510 baseband and V516 platform which are widely used in FWA routers and CPE devices.

ASR Microelectronics maintained its third ranking in the cellular IoT chipset market in Q4 2021 due to strong performance in the 4G Cat 1 and 4G Cat 4 module segments. ASR is providing strong competition to UNISOC for 4G Cat 1 and to Qualcomm for 4G Cat 4 module-based applications lately. However, ASR is yet to launch NB-IoT and 5G solutions and thus will have to work on its long-term capabilities and strategy to maintain this high growth which could remain for the next 2-3 years. The company has increased its production capacity this year to meet demand. ASR has local partnerships with many module players in 4G Cat 1 and Cat 4 technology, like Quectel, Longsung and Rinlink.

MediaTek took the fourth position in the market in Q4 2021. However, it is not much focused on the cellular IoT market compared to the smartphone chipset market. This is one of the key reasons for it to lose 4% market share sequentially in this quarter. MediaTek is also focusing on 5G enhancement and recently launched Kompanio 900T, a new 5G platform for tablets, notebooks and other IoT devices. The MediaTek T750 chipset is already quite popular for FWA and CPE devices.

Global Cellular IoT Chipset Shipments Share by Chipset Vendor, Q4 2021

Source: Counterpoint Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Tracker by Region, Q4 2021

Eigencomm registered a strong growth of 3743% YoY albeit on a smaller base as it struck partnerships with Quectel and Fibocom for NB-IoT module chipsets.

Sequans also registered growth with a robust 4G, LPWA and 5G chipset portfolio. The French manufacturer saw strong traction in key markets such as asset tracking, healthcare and smart meters.

Sony Semicon (Altair Semi) registered growth this quarter with a strong partnership with Sierra Wireless and Wistron NeWeb targeting smart meters, asset trackers and smart cities markets.

Samsung also launched a 5G chipset targeting automotive applications. It may provide strong competition to Qualcomm and MediaTek if it can enter a strong partnership with automakers.

Intel and HiSilicon are still supplying their leftover inventory to some of their top customers where the modules with their chipsets are designed in.

Global Cellular IoT Chipset Shipments Share by Application, Q4 2021

Source: Counterpoint Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Tracker by Application, Q4 2021

*Note: Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding

Commenting on the application side of chipsets, Vice President Research Neil Shah said, “Smart meter, POS, router/CPE, industrial and automotive were the top five applications in terms of shipments in Q4 2021. PC had the maximum growth of 245% YoY, followed by smart meter with 124% YoY and router/CPE with 112% YoY growth. Router/CPE, PC and industrial were the top three applications for 5G. For NB-IoT, smart meters, asset tracking and energy were the top three applications. 4G Cat 1 is becoming popular in the POS, industrial and smart meter segments due to its high performance and low power consumption architecture. We forecast that smart meters, industrial and router/CPE will grow the maximum in the future.”

For detailed research, refer to the following reports available for subscribing clients and also for individual subscriptions:

Counterpoint tracks and forecasts on a quarterly basis 1,450+ IoT module SKUs’ shipments, revenues and ASP performance across 85+ IoT module vendors, 12+ chipset players, 18+ IoT applications and 10 major geographies.

Background

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.

Analyst Contacts:

Anish Khajuria

Neil Shah

Counterpoint Research

press(at)counterpointresearch.com

Related Reports:

Global Cellular IoT Module Revenue Grows 58% YoY in Q4 2021; 5G, 4G Cat 1 Modules Fastest Growing

Quectel and Qualcomm led the global cellular IoT module and IoT chipset markets respectively in Q4 2021.
5G contributed to nearly a quarter of the cellular IoT module market revenue.
Automotive, router/CPE, industrial, PC and POS were the top five applications in the quarter.

San Diego, Buenos Aires, London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – March 31, 2022

Global cellular IoT module revenue grew 58% YoY in Q4 2021, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Tracker by Application. China, the leading region in the cellular IoT module market, accounted for more than 40% of the revenue. However, India was the fastest growing (154% YoY) cellular IoT module market. 5G was the fastest growing (324% YoY) technology followed by 4G Cat 1 (105% YoY). Router/CPE, PC and industrial were the top applications for 5G.

Commenting on the market dynamics, Senior Research Analyst Soumen Mandal said, “Quectel, Telit and MeiG held the top three positions in the global cellular IoT module market, accounting for 40% of the total revenue in Q4 2021. For 2021, global cellular IoT module shipments and revenue grew by 59% and 57% YoY respectively.”

Quectel’s cellular IoT module revenue grew more than 100% YoY in Q4 2021. Strong partnerships, superior service and a wide range of product offerings are supporting its growth. Quectel launched a new ODM brand, Ikotek, targeting the US market. We expect it to help Quectel increase its footprint in North America and Latin America. Moreover, the products can be customized and designed according to the regulatory requirements of a project.

Telit made a strong comeback after a relatively weaker performance in recent history. Telit has been expanding its offerings, which is helping its revival. Telit NExT is providing flexible connectivity plans across 190 countries to take advantage of emerging business models and removing major bottlenecks for many IoT device vendors. In Q4 2021, Telit’s focus on Latin America to help customers migrate legacy 2G and 3G modules to 4G Cat 1 modules helped it become the leading module supplier in the region to complement its strong position in North America.

MeiG is another Chinese player which is making continuous progress and made it to the top three in cellular IoT modules, both in shipments and revenue. It is focusing more on AIoT and smart module-based higher-end applications such as router/CPE, intelligent cockpit, video recordings, industrial PDAs, drones and AR/VR. MeiG entered lower-end applications in 2021. This product mix of higher-end and lower-end modules helped MeiG increase revenue by more than 100% in Q4 2021.

Thales, Rolling Wireless, Sunsea, Fibocom and Sierra Wireless are other key players. Out of the top 10 players, Rolling Wireless and LG are focussing on the automotive segment only.

Thales is performing well in Europe, North America and Japan targeting smart meter, healthcare and industrial applications. Sunsea improved its performance in the global IoT module market, but it wasn’t enough to prevent its share from going down. The industry is growing at a faster rate compared to Sunsea’s growth. Fibocom is showing a stronger presence in 4G Cat 1 bis technology. However, Fibocom slipped out of the top five module vendors rankings due to weaker performance of NB-IoT modules.

Rolling Wireless’s and Sierra Wireless’s revenues increased 105% and 87% respectively. After spinning off from Sierra Wireless’s automotive division last year, Rolling Wireless quickly made it to the top 10 module vendors list. Rolling Wireless and Sierra Wireless have been successful in targeting specific applications, such as automotive and router/CPE respectively.

Global Cellular IoT Module Revenue Share by Module Vendor, Q4 2021

Source: Counterpoint Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Tracker by Application, Q4 2021

Automotive, router/CPE, industrial, PC and POS are the top five cellular IoT applications in terms of revenue. However, drones, PC and router/CPE are the top three fastest growing segments. Smart meters is another key segment but the lower ASPs of NB-IoT and 4G Cat 1 modules mean it is not among the top five IoT applications in terms of revenue.

Global Cellular IoT Module Vendor Shipment Share Rankings by Key Geographies, Q4 2021

Commenting on the regional performance of module vendors and pricing dynamics, Vice President Research Neil Shah said, “International players made a strong comeback in Q4 2021 after weaker performance in the previous quarter. Quectel, MeiG and Sunsea were the top three cellular IoT module players in China in terms of revenue. For the rest of the world, Quectel, Telit and Thales were the top three cellular IoT module players.”

Quectel is leading in most regions except Latin America, India and Japan. However, as these regions currently represent a small share of the global cellular IoT module market, it doesn’t have much impact overall. Japan’s preference for LTE-M works against Quectel.

In China, MeiG overtook Fibocom to become the second largest cellular IoT module vendor.

Neoway, another Chinese module vendor, maintained its leading position in the Indian market. Strong partnerships with smart meter manufacturers and telematics providers are helping Neoway to maintain its position.

The overall cellular IoT module ASP increased 7% sequentially due to supply chain constraints, especially in 4G modules. Chinese chipset players are trying to reduce the 5G module ASP for mass commercialization. However, 5G adoption hasn’t picked up as expected. We see 5G peaking in the global cellular IoT module market after 2025.

For detailed research, refer to the following reports available for subscribing clients and also for individual subscription:

Counterpoint tracks and forecasts on a quarterly basis 1450+ IoT module SKUs’ shipments, revenues and ASP performance across 80+ IoT module vendors, 12+ chipset players, 18+ IoT applications and 10 major geographies

*Note: We have updated regional ranking data as per industry feedback (as of Oct 2022) which indicates Quectel led in India shipment share during Q4 2021.

Background

Analyst Contacts:

Soumen Mandal

Neil Shah

Counterpoint Research

press(at)counterpointresearch.com

Related Reports:

Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments Grow 70% YoY in Q3 2021; 5G Module Shipments up 700% YoY

Quectel and Qualcomm led the global cellular IoT module and chipset markets respectively in Q3 2021.
NB-IoT contributed to more than one-third of the cellular IoT module market.
Smart meter, POS, enterprise, industrial and router/CPE were the top five applications in this quarter.

San Diego, Buenos Aires, London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – December 9, 2021

Global cellular IoT module shipments grew 70% YoY in Q3 2021, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Global Cellular IoT Module, Chipset and Application Tracker. In terms of overall revenue, the market crossed the $1.5-billion mark during the quarter. China continued to dominate in terms of volume, followed by North America and Europe. 5G was the fastest growing technology (+700% YoY) due to a lower base.

Commenting on the market dynamics, Research Analyst Soumen Mandal said, “Chinese module players performed well during this quarter while some international players struggled. Quectel, Fibocom and China Mobile were the top three cellular IoT module players in China in terms of shipments. For the rest of the world, Quectel, Telit and Thales were the top three cellular IoT module players.

Quectel’s cellular IoT module shipments grew nearly 80% YoY in Q3 2021. NB-IoT and 4G Cat 1 modules were major drivers for this immense growth. In this quarter, Quectel won some bids for 5G, including for 5G C-V2X with Great Wall Motor, high-speed rail applications with China Mobile, industrial applications with China’s industry and information technology ministry, 5G module with China Mobile and a customized project with China Unicom. We expect 5G module shipments to gain traction from early next year.

Fibocom maintained its second position in the global cellular IoT module market. The strong demand for NB-IoT modules helped Fibocom’s module shipments grow 84% YoY. Fibocom is also focussing more on 4G Cat 1 and Cat 1 bis modules. We expect to witness more competition in Cat 1 bis space next year.

China Mobile entered the top three module player rankings during this quarter. Its total shipments tripled annually in Q3 2021. The Chinese market is witnessing a lot of traction for NB-IoT and 4G Cat 1 modules as 2G or 3G modules are being replaced in most cases.

All the top five module players in Q3 2021 were from China. MeiG Smart is another Chinese player witnessing continuous growth. Automotive-grade NAD IoT module players Rolling Wireless and LG raced into the top 10 module players rankings as demand for connected cars continued to rise.”

Global Cellular IoT Module Shipment Share by Module Vendor, Q3 2021

Source: Counterpoint Global Cellular IoT Module, Chipset and Application Tracker, Q3 2021

Smart meter, POS and retail were the top three fastest-growing applications. The ongoing chip shortage had a negative impact on the automotive segment. Chipset dynamics are also changing depending on applications and technologies.

Global Cellular IoT Chipset Shipment Share by Chipset Vendor, Q3 2021

Source: Counterpoint Regional Cellular IoT Module, Chipset and Application Tracker, Q3 2021

Commenting on the cellular IoT chipset supplier landscape, Vice-president Research Neil Shah said, “Qualcomm is leading in the global cellular IoT chipset market with more than one-third share. However, the company lost nearly 4% market share compared to the previous quarter. Still, Qualcomm is the leading chipset provider across 4G Cat 4, 4G Cat Others, 5G, LPWA Dual Mode, LTE-M and 3G technologies.

UNISOC, the second-largest cellular IoT chipset player, surpassed Qualcomm to lead in the 4G Cat 1 market. Cat 1 bis has been gaining traction, boosting UNISOC’s market share. UNISOC was leading across the 4G Cat 1, NB-IoT and 2G technologies in Q3 2021, thanks to volume growth in China and declining share of Huawei HiSilicon, which though still remained the third-largest chipset supplier.”

The overall cellular IoT module ASP decreased by 3% sequentially thanks to the shift towards the cheaper NB-IoT and 4G Cat-1 modules during this quarter. However, 4G Cat 4+ and 5G IoT modules’ ASP rose due to tight supplies. This had minimal impact on total shipments, but if the supply situation doesn’t improve, it could slow down 5G adoption.

For detailed research, refer to the following reports available for subscribing clients and also for individual subscription:

Counterpoint tracks and forecasts on a quarterly basis 80+ IoT module vendors’ shipments, revenues and ASP performance across 12+ chipset players, 18+ IoT applications and 10 major geographies.

Background

Analyst Contacts:

Soumen Mandal

Neil Shah

Counterpoint Research

press(at)counterpointresearch.com

Related Reports:

Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments Cross 100 Million for First Time in Q2 2021

The quarter saw record 53% and 60% YoY increase in shipments and revenue respectively.
Qualcomm dominated the global cellular IoT chipset market, capturing almost half of it.
Smart meter, POS, automotive, router/CPE and industrial were the top five applications in this quarter.

San Diego, Buenos Aires, London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – September 9, 2021

Global cellular IoT module quarterly shipments reached the 100 million mark for the first time in Q2 2021, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Global Cellular IoT Module, Chipset and Application Tracker. 5G was the fastest growing technology YoY (+800%), followed by 4G Cat 1 (+100%). However, NB-IoT captured close to a third of the market in terms of shipments. China alone contributed nearly 85% of the total NB-IoT module shipments in this quarter and continues to be the leading geography for cellular IoT use-cases and deployments.

Commenting on the market dynamics, Research Analyst Soumen Mandal said, “Quectel, Fibocom and Telit are the top three players in global cellular IoT module revenue rankings, capturing nearly 40% of the total revenue during Q2 2021.

Quectel cellular IoT revenue grew 49% YoY during the quarter due to strong performance of NB-IoT and 4G Cat 1 modules in mainland China. Continuous rise in global presence, diversified product portfolio and increasing partnerships with more IoT module ecosystem players helped Quectel increase its market share in Q2 2021 compared to the previous quarter. Moreover, Quectel entered IoT antenna services, offering more than 250 antenna options. These services can be an alternative revenue source in the coming years. The vertical integration will help Quectel establish itself as a “true IoT” component solutions vendor in the global market.

Fibocom was also able to increase its share in the global cellular IoT module market, cementing the second spot in our global rankings. The company saw strong demand for its 4G Cat 1 shipments during this quarter but also continued to expand its 5G modules portfolio, targeting multiple applications to closely compete with the likes of Quectel, Thales and MeiG.

Telit entered the top three rankings of cellular IoT module vendors riding on its strong performance in 4G Cat 1 and LPWA modules. Moreover, Telit launched smart modules and NB-IoT modules recently following in Chinese module players’ footsteps. These modules will give Telit a boost across North America and Europe in the coming quarters.

Thales’ cellular IoT module revenue grew 47% YoY. 4G Cat 1, 5G and smart modules are expected to help Thales regain market share in coming quarters, with strong traction across the developed markets like Europe, North America and Japan.

Rolling Wireless and MeiG are some notable players among the Top 10 cellular IoT module vendors which are improving performance continuously. Rolling Wireless is purely focussed on automotive applications, whereas MeiG is more focussed on POS, telematics, industrial and router/CPE applications.”

Exhibit 1: Global Cellular IoT Module Revenue Share by Module Vendor, Q2 2021

Source: Counterpoint’s Global Cellular IoT Module, Chipset and Application Tracker, Q2 2021

The following exhibit showcases the competitive dynamics for IoT chipset vendors across different geographies. These dynamics are a function of a telecom operator’s strategy, application focus and partnerships with module vendors.

Exhibit 2: Global Cellular IoT Chipset Vendor Shipment Rankings by Key Geographies (%), Q2 2021

Source: Counterpoint’s Regional Cellular IoT Module, Chipset and Application Tracker, Q2 2021

Commenting on the cellular IoT chipset supplier landscape, Vice President Research Neil Shah said, “Qualcomm is leading cellular IoT chipset shipments share across most of the fast-growing advanced cellular technologies. This has helped Qualcomm increase its market share further by capturing nearly half of the cellular IoT chipset market.

HiSilicon is the second-largest player in the cellular IoT chipset market, still holding the fort in the IoT segment. NB-IoT is contributing more than 90% of HiSilicon’s shipments. Going forward, HiSilicon is expected to surrender the NB-IoT leadership position to its homegrown competitor UNISOC.

The third-largest vendor, UNISOC, is the only one among the top five cellular IoT chipset players which grew by more than 100% YoY during the quarter. The recent module launches trend shows UNISOC is focussing more on NB-IoT and 4G Cat 1. Quectel, Neoway, Longsung and Open Luat are some notable players which launched UNISOC-based modules during this quarter. Moreover, UNISOC unveiled Release 16 supported 5G chipset platform V516 in August. It is expected to help UNISOC increase market share in 5G applications such as manufacturing, port surveillance, grid monitoring, telehealth and patient monitoring.”

Overall module ASP increased by 5% YoY due to rising 5G shipments and semiconductor shortages. The ASP for 5G modules reached sub-$150 for the first time in Q2 2021. The second half of this year will provide momentum for 5G module adoption as most of the modules will come under production by then. However, the global cellular IoT module market will be more prone to supply shortages in Q3 2021 compared to Q2 2021.

Currently, Counterpoint Research is tracking and forecasting 80+ IoT module vendors’ shipments, revenue performance across 12+ chipset players, and 18+ IoT applications across 10 major geographies on a quarterly basis, with a forecast up to 2025.

Full reports are available for subscribing clients through the following links:

These reports are a part of Counterpoint’s IoT Service.

Background

Analyst Contacts:

Soumen Mandal

Neil Shah

Counterpoint Research

press@counterpointresearch.com

Related Reports:

Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments up 50% YoY in Q1 2021 as Demand for 5G, LTE-Cat 1 Modules Soars

Quectel and Qualcomm maintained their top positions in the cellular IoT module vendor and chipset player market shares, respectively.
Automotive, router/CPE and industrial are the top three applications in terms of revenue.
5G captured nearly 20% share of the IoT module revenues during this quarter.

San Diego, Buenos Aires, London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – June 23, 2021

Global cellular IoT module shipments increased by 50% YoY and 11% QoQ during Q1 2021, according to the latest research by Counterpoint’s Global Cellular IoT Module, Chipset and Application Tracker. The market made a tremendous comeback during the quarter as the COVID-19 pandemic was under control globally in that period. Europe, North America and Japan registered healthy growth annually while Latin America was the only region that did not grow in terms of revenue during Q1 2021. China maintained its lead across geographies with a growing demand for cellular IoT modules.

Commenting on the market dynamics, Research Analyst Soumen Mandal noted, “Quectel continues to lead the global cellular IoT module vendor rankings in terms of volume and revenue. The Shanghai-based vendor saw its shipments and revenues climb 67% and 78% respectively during the quarter. Thales continued to maintain its second position. 5G revenues increased by more than 80% QoQ, which helped Thales decrease the gap with top-ranked Quectel and maintain the gap with Fibocom. The third-largest module vendor, Fibocom, is expanding globally beyond China with a strong focus on telematics, router and PC segments. We can expect strong competition between Fibocom and Thales in coming quarters for the second position in terms of revenue share.”

Exhibit 1: Global Cellular IoT Module Revenue Share by Vendor, Q1 2021

Source: Counterpoint Global Cellular IoT Module, Chipset and Application Tracker, Q1 2021

Mandal added, “Some of the leading incumbents such as Telit and Sierra Wireless continue to stay focused on specific Western markets, applications and expanding their services revenue. Both Telit and Sierra have divested their automotive businesses. Sierra’s automotive module business was acquired last year by a consortium of investors led by Fibocom to form Rolling Wireless, which quickly grew to become the fifth largest cellular IoT module vendor globally, serving high-ASP automotive applications. The rising contracts with leading automakers like Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Renault-Nissan and Stellantis, and scaling up of operations with a lower cost and higher quality are helping Rolling Wireless increase market share.”

The following exhibit showcases the competitive dynamics for IoT module vendors across different geographies, with a good divide between Western and Eastern markets. These dynamics are a function of the vendor’s IoT application focus, breadth and depth of portfolio, channel partnerships, certification across operators and the quality of FAE (Field Application Engineers) force in the respective regions.

Exhibit 2: Global Cellular IoT Module Vendor Shipment Rankings by Key Geographies, Q1 2021

Source: Counterpoint Regional Cellular IoT Module, Chipset and Application Tracker, Q1 2021

Commenting on the cellular IoT module chipset supplier landscape, Vice President Research Neil Shah noted, “While modules based on LPWA technologies such as NB-IoT and LTE-M continued to grow above the market average, LTE-Cat 1 and 5G became the fastest-growing cellular technologies in the IoT space this quarter. This adoption has helped Qualcomm strengthen its dominant position further to capture almost half of the market in terms of volume, offering different types of cellular IoT chipset solutions to these module vendors.”

Shah added, “Other notable vendors making strides in this market are Shanghai-based ASR Microelectronics, and Unisoc with growing design wins in the 4G Cat 1 segment. French chipset manufacturer Sequans is also in a growth mode with a robust 4G broadband, 4G Cat-1, LPWA, and 5G chipset and module portfolio. This should drive significant competition in the fast-growing LTE Cat-1 segment with the ASP of these modules falling below $10. MediaTek is expected to improve its share over 4G Cat 4, 4G Cat other and 5G technology. As IoT applications and project implementations are increasing, more chipset players are entering this space. GCT Semiconductor and XINYI Semi are the latest entrants in this segment. It will be interesting to see whether these new entrants are able to strike partnerships with larger module vendors to grow further.”

Currently, Counterpoint is tracking and forecasting 65+ IoT module vendors’ shipments, revenue performance across 12+ chipset players, and 18+ IoT applications across 10 major geographies on a quarterly basis, with a forecast up to 2025.

Full reports are available for subscribing clients through the following links:

Background

Analyst Contacts:

Soumen Mandal

Neil Shah

Counterpoint Research

press(at)counterpointresearch.com

Related Posts:

Quectel, Thales & Fibocom Lead the Global Cellular IoT Module Market in Q4 2020

The global cellular IoT module market continued to recover sequentially but is yet to reach 2019 levels.
Quectel and Qualcomm maintained their top positions in the cellular IoT module vendor and chipset player market shares respectively.
Smart meter, automotive and telematics are the top three applications for cellular IoT modules globally in terms of shipments.

San Diego, Buenos Aires, London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – April 15, 2021

Global cellular IoT module shipments increased 9% QoQ but decreased 6% YoY during Q4 2020, according to the latest research by Counterpoint’s Global Cellular IoT Module, Chipset and Application Tracker. The COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the cellular IoT module demand across mobility sectors but saw an increased adoption among other industry verticals, such as healthcare and gateways. Only Japan and South Korea witnessed an increase in shipments on a YoY basis. The total cellular IoT module shipments for 2020 ended at 265 million units. A fresh wave of COVID-19 and semiconductor shortages stopped the cellular IoT module market from recovering fully.

Commenting on the market dynamics, Research Analyst Soumen Mandal said, “Quectel continued to lead global cellular IoT module vendors in terms of shipment volumes and revenues. However, it lost market share in successive quarters due to the rise of longtail module vendors, especially in China. There has been an intense competition for the second spot between the incumbent Thales, Sierra Wireless and the fast-growing Fibocom. The negative impact of COVID-19 forced Thales to surrender the second spot to Fibocom in Q2 2020. However, Thales recaptured it in Q3 2020, retaining it through the end of the year. The improved performance in Europe, North America and Japan helped Thales regain its position. Fibocom is trying to increase its global presence and improve service support to increase its share in the global cellular IoT module market.

Sierra Wireless slipped out of the top five module vendor rankings with the divestment of its automotive business to a consortium led by Fibocom Wireless to form an independent company, Rolling Wireless. Among large module vendors in China, only Fibocom and Meig experienced positive quarterly and yearly growth during Q4 2020 in terms of shipments.”

Exhibit 1: Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments Share by Module Vendor, Q4 2020

Source: Counterpoint Global Cellular IoT Module, Chipset and Application Tracker

Mandal added, “The 4G LTE modules continued to dominate, contributing to nearly half of the global cellular IoT module shipment volumes. The demand for 4G Cat-1 modules is poised to grow significantly this year. The demand for NB-IoT modules remains healthy, contributing to a third of the cellular IoT module shipment volumes in Q4 2020. Smart meters, telematics and utilities are the top applications for NB-IoT technology. The 3GPP Release 14 spec-based NB-IoT (Cat NB2) modules gain location capabilities among others, expanding the spectrum of use cases to the broader mobility, tracking and telematics applications.

The demand for 5G IoT modules during the quarter was limited to the router/CPE market and other industrial applications. However, the majority of launched 5G modules are expected to enter mainstream production in the second half of 2021. The demand will also begin to take off with improving 5G coverage in many key markets such as China, North America and parts of Europe.”

Exhibit 2: Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments Share by Chipset Brand, Q4 2020

Source: Counterpoint Global Cellular IoT Module, Chipset and Application Tracker

Commenting on the cellular IoT module chipset supplier landscape, Vice-President Research Neil Shah noted, “Qualcomm further increased its share in the global cellular IoT chipset market to nearly half in Q4 2020, riding on the growing demand for 4G and LPWA modules. As the top-tier Chinese module vendors look to expand their presence beyond China, Qualcomm and other suppliers such as Sony (Altair Semi) and Sequans seem to be major beneficiaries going forward. HiSilicon has been the top supplier when it comes to NB-IoT technology. It expects to continue to lead in the coming quarters despite US sanctions. However, with growing competition and design wins, UNISOC and MediaTek look forward to increasing their market share, especially in the NB-IoT segment away from HiSilicon. With the entry of newer suppliers in the cellular IoT chipset market, such as AutoTalks, ASR and Eigencomm, alongside the vertically integrated u-blox, Nordic Semi will light up some competition, especially in the fast-growing LPWA segment.”

Shah added, “The NB-IoT module ASP (average selling price) continues to decline (3% YoY) with scale in Q4 2020, driving further adoption of NB-IoT technology. Sub-$5 priced modules contributed to almost a third of the shipments during this quarter. The ASP of another fast-growing segment, 4G LTE Cat 1 modules, decreased by 9% YoY in Q4 2020 and is an emerging choice to replace many existing and future 2.5G/3G M2M applications.”

Currently, Counterpoint is tracking and forecasting 40+ IoT module vendors’ shipments, revenue performance across 10+ chipset players, and 18+ IoT applications across 10 major geographies on a quarterly basis, with a forecast up to 2025. Full reports are available for subscribing clients through the following links:

These reports are a part of Counterpoint’s IoT Service.

Background

Analyst Contacts:

Soumen Mandal

Neil Shah

Counterpoint Research
press(at)counterpointresearch.com

Related Posts:

Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments to Cross 780 Mn Units in 2024

North America will overtake Europe in 2024 to become the second largest market after China.
5G will lead in terms of value while NB-IoT will lead in terms of volume in the market.
Quectel and Qualcomm will maintain their top positions in cellular IoT module vendor and chipset player market shares respectively.

San Diego, Buenos Aires, London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – February 10, 2021

Global cellular IoT module shipments will cross 780 million units in 2024 to reach $11.5 billion in revenues, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Forecast. The COVID-19 outbreak and recent supply shortages in semiconductor material have adversely affected the cellular module market. However, the pandemic has accelerated the pace of IoT adoption, with organizations prioritizing it as a path towards digitalization. NB-IoT will lead the cellular IoT module shipments by 2024, followed by 4G and 5G. LTE-M will have a lower market share due to good presence only in North America, Japan and Australia.

Commenting on regional dynamics, Associate Director Jan Stryjak said, “The growth of NB-IoT will keep China ahead of other regions in the cellular IoT module market. However, India is expected to experience the highest growth (38%) in shipments. The commercial deployment of NB-IoT by the country’s major telecom operators, such as Jio, Vi, Airtel and BSNL, will help usher growth in cellular module shipments in India. North America will emerge as the second largest region in this market by surpassing Europe. 5G module shipments will start picking up in developed countries like the US, Japan and South Korea while the Middle East and Africa, Russia, India and other Asian countries will bet on lower-cost LPWA technologies (LTE-M and NB-IoT).”

Client Services and Consulting Director Rick Cui added, “Chinese players Quectel, Sunsea and Fibocom are expected to hold nearly 45% share in the cellular IoT module shipments in 2024. Neoway and Meig are the dark horses in this market and projected to increase share. After becoming successful in the homegrown Chinese market, these brands are entering other regions with a wide range of products, and cloud services. The complete product offerings from modules to cloud services will help in the growth of these module vendors.”

Exhibit 1: Global Cellular IoT Module Forecast Insight

Commenting on pricing and revenue, Research Analyst Soumen Mandal said, “5G is expected to overtake 4G revenue by 2022 as 5G network deployments around the world are increasing while the average selling price (ASP) is decreasing. This trend of reducing 5G module prices will help in faster transition to 5G technology from 3G and 4G. The NB-IoT module ASP is expected to fall below $3 by 2024. But still, the 2G module ASP will be lower than the NB-IoT module ASP. As major telecom operators are shutting down 2G/3G networks in a phased manner, 2G will be replaced by NB-IoT while 3G will be replaced by LTE Cat 1 and 5G depending on applications.”

Vice-President Research Neil Shah noted, “Qualcomm is expected to hold nearly half of the global cellular IoT chipset market by 2024. With its leadership in 5G market, supply shortages being faced by Hisilicon and sanctions imposed by the US, Qualcomm is going to maintain its legacy in this market. The strengthening partnerships with long-tail module vendors like Gosuncn, MobileTek, AM Telecom, Cheerzing, USR (WenHeg), Wutong (Broadmobi), Yuge Technology and Wistron NeWeb are also helping Qualcomm to increase its market share. Mediatek recently launched 5G-powered T700 and T750 chipsets targeting the PC and FWA router segments respectively. We may witness strong competition between Qualcomm and Mediatek for the 5G cellular IoT chipset market, just as we see in the smartphone chipset market. Unisoc is targeting NB-IoT-based applications like smart meter and telematics, and may emerge as the leading player in the NB-IoT chipset market in China next year.”

Currently, Counterpoint is tracking more than 35 IoT module vendors, 10 chipset players and 18 applications across 10 major regions, with forecast up to 2024. The comprehensive and in-depth ‘Global Cellular IoT Module Vendor Shipments, ASP, Revenues Forecast by Regions by Tech, Q3 2020’ and ‘Global Cellular IoT Chipset Shipments by Module Vendor by Tech Forecast, Q3 2020’ reports are a part of Counterpoint’s IoT Service. They are available for download for subscribing clients.

Background

Analyst Contacts:

Soumen Mandal

Neil Shah

Jan Stryjak

Rick Cui

Counterpoint Research
press(at)counterpointresearch.com

Related Posts:

NB-IoT Module Share in Cellular IoT Module Shipments at Record 30% in Q3 2020

Quectel, Sierra Wireless, Thales and Telit controlled more than half of the global cellular IoT module revenue.
Automotive, Router/CPE and Enterprise are the top three applications for cellular IoT modules globally in terms of revenue.
Qualcomm dominated the global cellular IoT module chipset market, capturing almost half of the market in terms of shipment volumes.

London, San Diego, Buenos Aires, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – January 20, 2021

Global cellular IoT module revenue increased 8% QoQ but decreased 1% YoY during Q3 2020, according to the latest research by Counterpoint Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Tracker. The demand is yet to recover fully from the impact of COVID-19. However, all regions except the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Latin America and South Korea reported an increase in revenue. NB-IoT modules were the fastest-growing cellular IoT module segment and contributed to a record 30% of the global cellular IoT module shipment volumes in Q3 2020.

Commenting on market dynamics, Research Associate Soumen Mandal said, “Quectel, Fibocom and Neoway were the only suppliers which grew their revenues on a YoY basis. Quectel revenues grew a healthy 41%, with a balanced performance across regions widening its lead with the rest of the suppliers. Fibocom revenues grew 34% YoY on strong growth in North America, Asia and China. From the fourth quarter onwards, Fibocom will be further benefiting from the divestment of Sierra Wireless’s automotive segment. Going forward, this should push Sierra Wireless, the second-largest supplier by revenue, down a couple of notches and drive Fibocom to become one of the top three players globally.”

Exhibit 1: Global Cellular IoT Module Shipment Revenue Share, Q3 2020

Source: Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Tracker, Q3 2020

Mandal added: “NB-IoT now contributes to 30% of the total cellular IoT module shipment volumes but only 11% of the total revenue due to the low ASPs. At the same time, the demand for LTE Cat 4 and Cat 1 applications is also rising. Cat 1 modules are mostly being deployed in industrial, telematics, and asset-tracking applications, whereas LTE Cat 4 is seeing deployment in automotive, router/CPE and enterprise. Overall, LTE (Cat 1, Cat 4 and beyond) continues to command the lion’s share of the global cellular IoT module revenues. The share of LPWA technologies (NB-IoT and LTE-M) is steadily growing. However, the share of 5G is forecast to grow in coming quarters with the proliferation of CPEs and other applications.”

Exhibit 2: Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments by Application Revenue Share, Q3 2020

Source: Global Cellular IoT Module by Brand by Tech by Application Tracker, Q3 2020

Talking about cellular IoT applications, Research Vice President Neil Shah highlighted, “The higher ASP of automotive modules helped this segment lead the global cellular IoT module application market, followed by router/CPE, enterprise, industrial and telematics. Automotive, router/CPE and smart meters are top applications for 4G, 5G and NB-IoT respectively. Healthcare, asset tracking and telematics have been seeing some growth buoyed by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Commenting on the IoT module cellular chipset supplier landscape, Shah noted, “Qualcomm has seen a significant growth in the cellular IoT module market for its broad portfolio of cellular chipsets, which commanded almost half of the market in Q3 2020 in terms of shipments. Qualcomm is the top supplier for 4G, 5G and LPWA dual connectivity IoT applications while Mediatek is leading in NB-IoT and 2G connectivity. Hisilicon has been losing its chipset market share owing to supply shortage and the US sanctions.”

Counterpoint is tracking more than 35 IoT module vendors and 18 applications across 10 major geographies. These comprehensive and in-depth reports are a part of Counterpoint’s IoT (Internet of Things) Practice and available for download for subscribing clients.

Background

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in technology products in the TMT industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects and detailed analysis of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are experts in the industry with an average tenure of 15 years in the high-tech industry.

Analyst Contacts:

Soumen Mandal

Neil Shah

Counterpoint Research

press@counterpointresearch.com

Related Posts:

Quectel Widens Gap with Competition in Global Cellular IoT Module Market During COVID-hit Q2 2020

Quectel dominated global cellular IoT module market, capturing close to a third of the shipments in Q2 2020.
Fibocom and u-blox made it to the top five global cellular IoT module vendor rankings.
Healthcare applications more than doubled annually while enterprise applications contributed to the majority of IoT module shipments during the quarter.

San Diego, Buenos Aires, London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – October 28, 2020

Global cellular IoT module shipments increased 8% YoY and 15% QoQ during Q2 2020, solely driven by the revival of IoT demand in China after the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the latest research by Counterpoint Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Tracker. Demand across Europe and North America suffered in Q2 2020 due to COVID-19, falling 8.3% YoY and 7.9% YoY, respectively, in these key regions. In terms of the total global IoT module shipment revenues, the market grew 15% YoY during Q2 2020. Quectel, u-blox, Sierra Wireless, Fibocom and Thales (Gemalto) were the leading suppliers in terms of the global IoT module revenue share during the quarter.

Talking about the China rebound and other factors helping a few IoT module vendors to race ahead, Research Associate Soumen Mandal said, “Quectel had a terrific quarter as it gained market share across regions. The steady investment in R&D, coupled with a variety of module launches across different technologies and application categories, helped the vendor maintain the momentum from Q1 2020. During the period, Quectel also set up an intelligent manufacturing center in Foshan to increase its capacity. This should help the vendor scale up its portfolio to cater to the growing demand.”

Mandal added: “Sunsea AIoT group maintained its second position with an increase in its market share following 29% QoQ growth in demand for its modules. However, it saw a flat YoY growth. Fibocom, another fast-growing vendor, became the third-largest IoT module supplier in Q2 2020 in terms of shipments, surpassing the incumbents Thales, Sierra Wireless and Telit. Fibocom also acquired Sierra Wireless’s automotive embedded module business during the quarter, which should further boost its market share. u-blox also jumped back to the top five rankings during the quarter, capturing 6% share with demand for its 4G IoT module in China and other regions. u-blox also acquired Thingstream in the quarter to help customers connect their sensor-based devices seamlessly to the cloud. As Counterpoint has been highlighting the move to a platform play, the IoT players are extending their offerings across the value chain, either in terms of acquisitions or striking partnerships to build a robust out-of-the-box chipset-to-cloud connectivity. The slowdown in the automotive sector affected the demand for Thales’ IoT modules across the pandemic-stricken Europe and North America markets and the vendor slipped to the fifth position. But with an improving market landscape and focus on LPWA modules, Thales can make a comeback in coming quarters.”

Commenting on the top-selling IoT module models, Research Associate Anish Khajuria said, “During the quarter, the Quectel BC66, SIMCom SIM868, Fibocom N700 and the u-blox Toby R200 were the best-selling modules for the respective vendors. However, the top five spots in terms of the global IoT module model shipments went to Quectel.”

Vice-President Research Neil Shah said, “Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, shipments for healthcare applications increased 110% YoY. Increased demand in the areas like patient monitoring, telehealth, medical equipment, emergency medical services and wearables benefited growth. However, enterprise, industrial and retail segments continued to lead the global cellular IoT module application market during Q2 2020.”

Shah added: “With the rising number of NB-IoT module shipments, we are witnessing high growth in smart meter, enterprise and telematics applications. The global NB-IoT module ASP decreased by 18% in Q2 2020, which is the major factor for rising usage of NB-IoT module applications.”

Commenting on the IoT module cellular chipset supplier landscape, Shah said, “Qualcomm increased its market share, capturing almost half of the cellular baseband chipsets for IoT modules globally. Qualcomm benefits from its global scale, partnerships, carrier certifications and partly from lack of focus and development from Intel in this segment. MediaTek struggled to increase market share in this segment as small Chinese module vendors could not recover from the COVID-19 outbreak and the share shifted towards Qualcomm-centric IoT module players. It will be interesting to monitor the rise of Sequans, Sony (Altair Semi), Unisoc, ASR and u-blox in coming quarters, especially across the high-growth LTE-Cat 1 and LPWA IoT module categories. The rise of Sequans in North America and Japan, Altair in Europe and Japan, and ASR and Unisoc in China will shape the key regional competitive landscape for the cellular IoT module baseband chipset suppliers going forward.”

The comprehensive and in-depth ‘Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Tracker 2018Q1-2020Q2’ and ‘Global Cellular IoT Module by Brand by Tech by Application Tracker 2018Q1- 2020Q2’ reports are a part of Counterpoint’s IoT (Internet of Things) Service. They are available for download for subscribing clients.

Background

Analyst Contacts:

Soumen Mandal

Neil Shah

Anish Khajuria

Counterpoint Research

press@counterpointresearch.com

Top

Coverage: Cellular Tracker & Forecasts

Qualcomm Retains Top Position in Global Cellular IoT Chipset Market in Q4 2021

Global Cellular IoT Module Revenue Grows 58% YoY in Q4 2021; 5G, 4G Cat 1 Modules Fastest Growing

Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments Grow 70% YoY in Q3 2021; 5G Module Shipments up 700% YoY

Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments Cross 100 Million for First Time in Q2 2021

Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments up 50% YoY in Q1 2021 as Demand for 5G, LTE-Cat 1 Modules Soars

Quectel, Thales & Fibocom Lead the Global Cellular IoT Module Market in Q4 2020

Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments to Cross 780 Mn Units in 2024

NB-IoT Module Share in Cellular IoT Module Shipments at Record 30% in Q3 2020

Quectel Widens Gap with Competition in Global Cellular IoT Module Market During COVID-hit Q2 2020

Coverage

Insights

Social media

Contact us

Top

Coverage

Insights

Social media

Contact us

Term of Use and Privacy Policy