Report Predicts Surge in “Internet of Things” Devices

A new mobility report from Ericsson projects that the number of net-connected devices will increase by three or four times by 2019.

There were some 200 million machine-to-machine devices online by the end of 2013 -- a broad term that describes any device that exchanges information across a network without need for human intervention. These form the foundation of the “Internet of Things” phenomenon, and encompass everything from Internet-connected “smart meters” that keep track of energy consumption to cameras with built-in SIM cards to jump onto mobile networks.

Patrik Cerwall, Ericsson’s head of strategic marketing, said these devices communicate information across slower mobile networks today, but that will change by 2016, when the majority of such devices use higher-speed 3G or 4G networks. Smartphones accounted for 65 percent of all phones sold worldwide in the first quarter, Ericsson found.

Within two years’ time, the number of smartphone subscriptions will surpass basic mobile phones. Consumer adoption of the smartphone has accelerated since Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007.