Vodacom Business launches its 2019 internet Of things(IoT)Barometer

Peter Maebye

Vodacom Business announced findings of its latest Internet of Things (IoT) Barometer 2019. In its sixth year, the IoT Barometer highlights a clear picture of how non-adopters of IoT business will have fallen behind rivals within a few years.

The Barometer also serves as a guide in terms of what’s happening around the world across all sectors, and where it’s headed. With responses from 1,758 businesses worldwide, the Barometer finds that more than a third (34%) of businesses now make use of IoT, 70 per cent of these adapters have moved beyond pilot stage and 95% of adopters are seeing the benefits of investment in the IoT technology as it moves into the mainstream.

Commenting on the results, Peter Malebye, Managing Executive for Vodacom Business IoT said: “IoT is central to business success in an increasingly digitised world, with 72 per cent of adopters saying digital transformation is impossible without it. The good news is that IoT enablement platforms make the technology easier to deploy for businesses of all sizes and connectivity options like NB-IoT and 5G will make implantation easier and improve services. In this climate, companies need to be considering not if but rather how they will implement IoT, and they must also be fully committed to the technology to capitalise on the positive value/outcomes enabled by IoT.”

While use cases for IoT are varied, ranging from medical exoskeletons to connected tyres, the research has found that IoT impacts businesses regardless of size and sector. Sixty per cent of businesses that make use of IoT agree that it has either completely disrupted their industry or will do so in the next five years. Eighty-four per cent of adopters report growing confidence in IoT, with 83 per cent increasing the scale of deployments to take advantage of full benefits.

The report also grades businesses in IoT usage by assessing strategy, integration and implementation of IoT deployments. Globally the report found that 53 per cent of adopters fall into the top two levels out of five. Regionally, the Americas is the most advanced, with 67 per cent of adopters falling into the top two levels, compared to 51 per cent in APAC and 46 per cent in Europe. This suggests that businesses in the Americas are progressing faster than those in other markets, moving from individual projects to coordinated, strategic programmes.

The most advanced companies also saw the greatest return on investment in IoT. Eighty-seven per cent of those in the top level reported significant returns or benefits from IoT, compared to just 17 per cent in the “beginner’s” level. These benefits breed increasing reliance on IoT. Seventy-six per cent of adopters say IoT is mission-critical. Some are even finding it hard to imagine business without it — 8 per cent of adopters say their “entire business depends on IoT”.

Malebye stated that looking to the future, new technology will continue to power the performance of IoT. In fact, he shared: “Over half (52 per cent) of adopters plan to use 5G, which promises to support higher volumes of data, increase reliability and offer near-zero latency. Combined with mobile edge computing, which will process application traffic closer to the network edge, users can expect better performance, less risk and faster data speeds. The Barometer makes it clear that businesses are increasing their investment into IoT as they gain confidence and begin to develop more advanced solutions. In the short term, adopters of IoT will continue to access reduced costs and improved efficiency, but increasingly ambitious projects will offer the opportunity to change business models. For example in cities heavy users of roads could pay more, encouraging the use of different modes of transport with knock-on benefits to public health and the environment.”

Vodacom IoT technologies are embedded within connected vehicles built by Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Lamborghini, Porsche, VW and Yamaha scooters. Vodafone’s IoT network and services also support smart meter capabilities for energy companies including Centrica, EDF and nPower and provide connectivity for consumer electronics products such as the Amazon Kindle and devices manufactured by Bosch, Panasonic, and Philips Lighting.

Report Highlights:

• 72 per cent of adopters saying digital transformation is impossible without IoT
• 60 per cent of businesses that use IoT agree that it has either completely disrupted their industry or will do so in the next five years
• More than a third (34 per cent) of businesses now use IoT and 70 per cent of these adopters have moved beyond pilot stage
• 95 per cent of adopters are seeing the benefits of their investment in this technology as it moves into the mainstream, 53 per cent of adopters report reduced operating costs
• 84 per cent of adopters report growing confidence in IoT, with 83 per cent saying the scale of deployments has grown
• 74 per cent of businesses that use IoT say that non-adopters will have fallen behind rivals within five years.
• IoT Forum Africa, scheduled for 26 & 27 March 2019 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg South Africa, will be bigger and better than ever before.

Returning for the third year, IOTFA will assemble the finest selection of over 400 leading IoT experts, business leaders and solution providers for two days of insightful presentations, interactive panel discussions, industry focused break-away sessions, and plenty of networking.

In This Story:#IOTFA #Vodacom #BMW #MercedesBenz #AstonMartin #PeterMalebye

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