What is Machine-to-Machine (M2M)?

Machine-to-machine (M2M), also known as the Internet-of-Things (IoT), allows communication between multiple machines using mobile wireless technology.

It is the transfer of data between a remote device and a back-end system. This data is then analysed, processed and remotely monitored and managed.

Massive growth is forecasted for cellular M2M (3G/4G/5G), driven by industrial applications such as Industrial Monitoring, Fleet Management, Security, Smart Metering and Environmental Monitoring. A new study from Juniper Research has found that the global number of cellular M2M connections 3G, 4G and 5G will reach 1.6 billion by 2024, rising from 596 million in 2019. This is a growth of 165% in 5 years.

Similar research performed by other analyst firms supports these predictions, and forecasts the classic hockey stick growth curve, as you can see in Fig. 1.