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Despite China’s Failure to Recover in Q3 2022, Global Cellular IoT Module Market Experiences Growth

  • China led the global cellular IoT module market in Q3 2022 despite losing volume share. China was followed by North America and Western Europe.
  • Smart meter, POS, automotive, industrial and router/CPE were the top five applications in terms of volume this quarter.
  • Automotive, router/CPE, PC, industrial and POS were the top five applications in terms of value this quarter.
  • The top three technologies in terms of volume were NB-IoT, 4G Cat 1 and 4G Cat 4. They captured more than 60% of the total volume in Q3 2022.
  • The top three technologies in terms of value were 5G, 4G Cat 4 and 4G Other. They captured nearly two-thirds of the total value in Q3 2022.

San Diego, Buenos Aires, London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – December 27, 2022

Global cellular IoT module shipments grew by only 2% YoY in Q3 2022, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Tracker by Application. China led the market followed by North America and Europe. China’s shipments decreased 8% YoY in this quarter due to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. However, some of this demand decline was offset by an increase in the residential, smart door lock, patient monitoring, registrar device, smoke detector, drone, smart meter and automotive applications. Other markets such as North America, Western Europe, India, Japan, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa witnessed healthy growth.

Commenting on the competitive landscape, Associate Director Ethan Qi said, “Quectel is leading the cellular IoT module market, followed by Fibocom, Sunsea AIoT, China Mobile and MeiG. China is dominating this market with all the top five IoT module vendors being from the country. In the past few months, we have seen some consolidation among international players, like Telit taking over Thales’ IoT business and Semtech acquiring Sierra Wireless in the IoT module space to remain resilient against Chinese module vendors. With the increasing adoption of IoT technologies in various sectors, many players will consolidate to get bigger value from this fragmented value chain.”

Commenting on the important underlying technology dynamics shaping the entire IoT ecosystem, Senior Research Analyst Soumen Mandal said, “The IoT module market is undergoing changes as demand for low-end technologies like 2G and 3G declines and shifts towards 4G Cat 1 and 4G Cat 1 bis, where higher-end applications are upgrading from 4G to 5G. In this quarter, the top three technologies in terms of shipments – NB-IoT, 4G Cat 1 and 4G Cat 4 – accounted for over 60% of the total shipments. However, in terms of revenue share, 5G, 4G Cat 4 and 4G Other were the top three technologies and held nearly two-thirds of the total revenue. The lower-end technologies such as NB-IoT, 4G Cat 1 and 4G Cat 1 bis are helping connect a greater number of IoT devices, while higher-end technologies like 4G Cat 4, 4G Other and 5G are adding more value to the IoT ecosystem. This is why the automotive, router/CPE, PC and industrial segments, which rely mostly on higher-end technologies, are generating more revenue.

During this quarter, we saw some 4G Cat 1 and 4G Cat 1 bis-based applications being replaced with NB-IoT. Chinese NB-IoT chipset companies Eignecomm and Xinyi have improved their partnerships with module players, particularly in the domestic market. Besides, there were few options available for 4G Cat 1 bis chipsets in international markets, with Sequans being the exception. Last week, Qualcomm entered the 4G Cat 1 bis market by launching the QCX216 chipset in partnership with Quectel, Cavli Wireless and MoMAGIC. We believe that 4G Cat 1 bis technology will start to gain traction as leading IoT module and chipset players focus on it for use in massive IoT applications.”

Mandal further added, “Despite slower growth in IoT module shipments, IoT module revenue increased by 12% YoY in Q3 2022 due to a higher mix of 5G and 4G Cat 4 modules. The average selling price (ASP) of all types of 4G technologies and LTE-M continued to rise, while the ASP for 2G, 3G, 5G and NB-IoT technologies decreased. It is believed that 2023 will be a breakthrough year for 5G, and the ASP may decrease to below $100, which will help facilitate wider adoption.”

IoT module market Q3 2022 Counterpoint

Commenting on the key application trends in the IoT space, Associate Director Mohit Agrawal said, “The top 10 applications in the market captured more than 80% of shipments this quarter, with the top five being smart meters, POS, automotive, industrial and router/CPE. Smoke detectors saw the fastest growth, followed by residential applications and drones. China was a driving force in the growth of all three of these fast-growing segments, fuelled by a resurgence of COVID-19 cases in the country. Among the top five applications, industrial and router/CPE applications saw a decrease in shipments both on a sequential and yearly basis. However, the industrial segment still presents a large opportunity due to the number of companies embarking on digital transformation projects.”

IoT module application Counterpoint

For detailed research, refer to the following reports available for subscribing clients and individuals:

Counterpoint tracks and forecasts on a quarterly basis 1,500+ IoT module SKUs’ shipments, revenues and ASP performance across 80+ 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

Soumen Mandal

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Mohit Agrawal

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Counterpoint Research

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Related Reports

Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments Grew 20% YoY in Q2 2022

  • After declining in Q1 2022, the global cellular IoT module market recovered in Q2 2022 despite macroeconomic headwinds and lockdowns in China, the largest IoT market.
  • The quarter also saw a series of consolidations in the highly competitive IoT module space.
  • Asset-tracking reached the highest share ever at 7% to break into the top five applications.
  • Smart meter, POS and industrial were the top three applications in this quarter.
  • NB-IoT and 4G Cat 1 were the most preferred technologies for cellular IoT applications.

San Diego, Buenos Aires, London, New Delhi, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul – September 20, 2022

Global cellular IoT module shipments grew 20% YoY in Q2 2022, according to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Global Cellular IoT Module and Chipset Tracker by Application. The global cellular IoT module market continued to recover despite a tighter supply chain, COVID-19 lockdowns in China and macroeconomic headwinds. The growth was driven by the ongoing digital transformation involving potential applications around critical infrastructure and logistics catered by some key fast-growing low-tier cellular technologies such as Cat-1 and NB-IoT. Further, module players modified their product offerings, striking partnerships across the value chain, from newer connectivity solution providers to acquiring some key competitors, as the IoT industry enters a very exciting growth phase.

China retained its position as the world’s largest IoT market, contributing to more than half of the demand despite the lockdowns. The country’s cellular IoT module market recovered slightly from previous months this year, driven by lockdown-triggered applications like smart locks, surveillance systems and routers. The North American and western European markets grew steadily and held their second and third positions respectively in the global cellular IoT module market. Again, India was the fastest growing IoT module market (+264% YoY), albeit growing on a lower base, driven by smart meter, telematics, POS and automotive applications.

Commenting on the market dynamics, Senior Research Analyst Soumen Mandal said, “The IoT module market is going through a critical phase where the Chinese brands have become bigger, making it very difficult for international brands to grow in silos. As a result, we have seen the first wave of market consolidation with Telit acquiring Thales’ cellular IoT module business as well as acquiring IoT solutions design house Mobilogix. Also, during the quarter, Semtech, one of the big component vendors and the key chipset provider for the proprietary LoRa-based IoT network, acquired leading cellular IoT and router vendor Sierra Wireless to build an end-to-end wireless IoT portfolio. This kickstarts an exciting phase where the Western vendors are trying to become more ‘integrated’ to capture more value across the value chain, even though the IoT market is a blue-ocean opportunity.”

Mandal added, “With six out of the top 10 IoT module vendors being from China and with the rising geopolitical competition and data privacy concerns, international players see an opportunity to consolidate and carve out a dichotomy in this segment. Further, having a robust portfolio and post-sales support is the key. Telit, Thales, u-blox and Sierra Wireless improving their offerings over the last 12 months has been a step in the right direction. With consolidation, these vendors can garner scale and some competitive edge to at least compete well on pricing and value against the competition”

Cellular IoT Module Market Counterpoint

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

Market summary

The top three players accounted for more than half of the market. Interestingly, Quectel’s shipment share was equal to that of the remaining players in the top 10 list.

  • Quectel: Quectel’s module shipments increased 47% YoY, further increasing its gap with the remaining players. During the quarter, Quectel launched 4G Cat 4 smart modules SC200E and SG150H, based on Qualcomm and UNISOC chipsets respectively. Furthermore, Quectel unveiled iSIM-supported LPWA module BG773A-GL with the help of Kigen, through which it will be able to target M2M applications such as POS, smart metering, asset tracking and wearable devices.
  • Fibocom: The second largest module vendor, Fibocom, saw 12% YoY growth in its module shipments. Nearly 60% of its module shipments came from the China market. Fibocom has already entered partnerships with Qualcomm, MediaTek, UNISOC, Sequans and Autotalks to increase its share in international markets. This can help Fibocom bridge some of its wide gap with Quectel in the international IoT module market.
  • MeiG: After a slow Q1 2022 due to China lockdowns, MeiG registered growth which helped it to enter the top three IoT module ranks globally. While focusing on higher-end IoT module applications, MeiG is expanding into the fast-growing 4G Cat 1 bis market, targeting applications such as POS, industrial, asset tracking, smart meter and enterprise. MeiG is also diversifying its supplier portfolio. It has partnered with fast-growing 4G chipset vendor ASR for the 4G Cat 4 module market, especially for the highly competitive China market and other low-cost international markets.
  • China Mobile: China Mobile maintained its fourth position in the global cellular IoT module market by catering to its huge existing and prospective customer base and extensive cellular network. The operator partnered with Xinyi Semiconductor for focusing on lower-end applications. This has helped both to target 2G-to-4G transitioning IoT applications. China Mobile’s growing 5G footprint and partnerships across the value chain will help the world’s largest operator to rapidly scale its end-to-end 5G IoT solutions in the coming quarters.
  • Sunsea: Sunsea (SIMCom + Longsung) has been consistently improving its performance over the last 10 quarters. Sunsea is following a strategy similar to that of other Chinese players to offer Qualcomm-based solutions for the international market and MediaTek/UNISOC/ASR/Xinyi-based solutions for the homegrown China market. Sunsea added ASR as a partner besides Qualcomm to cater to the increasing demand and offer affordable pricing in China.
  • Telit: Telit is the first non-China player in the global IoT module vendors’ rankings. Telit is focussing on LPWA-Dual Mode, 4G Cat 1 and LTE-M technologies to target applications such as industrial, healthcare, asset tracking, router/CPE and energy. The vendor has launched 4G Cat 1 bis industrial grade module LE910R1 with 2G fallback to target the APAC and EMEA markets. With the sunset of 2G and 3G technology, this module can be used as a substitute for low-to-mid-end applications. After the acquisition of Thales, Telit has the potential to emerge as the largest module vendor outside of China and eventually match Quectel in scale.
  • Among other players, Neoway performed well. It was the fastest growing in QoQ terms (+162%) among top vendors. Besides China, India is turning out to be an important market.
  • u-blox recorded a strong quarter by remodeling and redesigning its products and clearing backlogs. The demand was strong for u-blox in industrial, automotive and healthcare applications.

Commenting on the key connectivity technology trends in the IoT space, Associate Director Mohit Agrawal said, “The top five technologies, including NB-IoT, 4G Cat 1, 4G Cat 4, 4G Cat 1 bis and LPWA-Dual Mode captured more than 80% of the shipments in this quarter. We are witnessing increasing shipments of 4G Cat 1 and 4G Cat 1 bis modules driven by the sunset of 2G and 3G technologies and higher demand in low-to-mid-end applications. Some module players are still shipping 2G modules to cater to specific low-cost applications in some emerging markets, like Africa, Asia and eastern Europe. The 5G IoT module shipments remain steady with prices still high and many projects still in pilot stages. It will take at least a couple of years to reach an inflection point. We expect the second half of 2023 to see a ramp-up for the 5G IoT modules with good pan-country 5G coverage and scale.”

The top five applications in Q2 2022 – smart meter, POS, industrial, router/CPE and asset tracking – captured more than half of the total IoT module market. Compared to the previous quarter, significant improvements were seen in the router/CPE and residential markets. The automotive connectivity market did not show much traction due to the poor performance of the automotive industry in China during this quarter.

Top 10 Cellular IoT Applications Counterpoint

For detailed research, refer to the following reports available for subscribing clients and individuals:

Counterpoint tracks and forecasts on a quarterly basis 1,500+ IoT module SKUs’ shipment, revenue and ASP performance across 80+ 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

Soumen Mandal

The Branding Source: New logo: Twitter

Mohit Agrawal

The Branding Source: New logo: Twitter

Counterpoint Research

The Branding Source: New logo: Twitter

press@counterpointresearch.com

 

Related Reports:

Entry Into Flagship Segment, 5G AP/SOCs Lead to Strong Growth for MediaTek in Q1 2022

  • MediaTek recorded an impressive set of numbers for Q1 2022 with revenues growing 32% YoY and 10.2% QoQ to reach $4.8 billion. The company’s mobile phone segment achieved a revenue of $2.7 billion, growing 29% YoY. According to Counterpoint Research’s Smartphone, AP/SOC Shipment Tracker, the addition of the Dimensity 9000 to the premium segment has added meaningfully to the overall revenues that have also been driven by 5G AP/SOCs in the mid-tier segment. LTE AP/SOCs are still attracting high demand and will be in tight supply throughout 2022. Based on our data, LTE AP/SOCs contributed to one-third of the total AP shipments in Q1 2022.
Counterpoint Research MediaTek revenue by segment
MediaTek Revenue by segment
  • The smart edge segment contributed 39% to MediaTek’s Q1 2022 revenues. This segment is mainly driven by the Wi-Fi 6/6E migration and higher-end solutions for smart TVs and tablets. Technology migration trends in smart edge platforms have led to a higher blended ASP in this segment.
  • The power IC segment accounted for 8% of the total revenues, growing 52% YoY and 21% QoQ. A large part of the PMIC segment’s revenue is coming from displays and smartphones. Automotive and industrial applications contribute to 10% of the PMIC revenue and will drive growth for this segment in 2022.
  • MediaTek guided revenues to be in the range of $5-$5.3 billion in Q2 2022, up 3~10% QoQ and 17~25% YoY. The mobile phone segment will show the strongest growth due to the shifting of demand from LTE to 5G AP/SOCs. As the China market is slowing, the revenue growth will come from other regions like India and Europe. Also, the Dimensity 9000 and 8000 series will continue to add to the revenues in Q2 2022. However, due to the slowdown in China and deteriorating macroeconomic conditions, we have reduced our H2 2022 forecast for the Dimensity 9000.
  • Revenues from Wi-Fi 6, 5G SIM modem, 5G tablet, 10G-PON and 4K smart TV are also expected to grow strongly in H2 2022. Also, MediaTek’s mmWave SOC is on schedule to ship in the second half of 2022. It will pave the way for MediaTek’s further expansion in the global market.
  • According to Counterpoint Research’s Smartphone AP/SOC Shipment Tracker, MediaTek will continue to lead the smartphone AP SOC market with a volume share of 41% in Q2 2022, followed by Qualcomm with 27%. The company’s strategy of 5G, Wi-Fi 6, focused product migration, geographic expansion with global customers, and penetration into high-end and flagship segments will allow MediaTek to retain and even improve its strong market position.
  • China slowdown, COVID-19 lockdowns and macroeconomic conditions will affect the global smartphone market. MediaTek guides flat growth for the smartphone market in 2022 and 5G penetration (660-680 million units) reaching 50%. Further, 5G penetration is expected to reach 70% in the next two years.
  • Smartphone OEMs like OPPO, vivo and Xiaomi currently have inventories with distributors and also for components like AP/SOCs, PMICs and DDICs. This has led to a drop in AP/SOC orders for MediaTek for H2 2022. But MediaTek is keeping a high inventory reserve this quarter to sustain its OEM and ODM partners during the worsening COVID-19 situation. MediaTek normally runs with around 90 days of inventory. But it has now raised this to around 100 days to manage potential supply constraints.
  • MediaTek sought to reassure investors that it would not follow a low pricing strategy to counter slowing demand. Instead, it will invest in future growth. Its pricing strategy will also leverage its high capacity and will manage profitability by maintaining similar pricing as the previous quarter. We expect overall 5G AP/SOC ASPs to be flat compared to last year. If the competition reduces the prices, it will be challenging for MediaTek to maintain growth in H2 2022. Due to the strong demand for LTE AP/SOCs, the ASPs will not decline this year. Overall, 5G AP/SOCs will have a premium pricing over LTE. The company is now focusing on developing 5G AP/SOCs for low-end phones priced less than $150. We believe this will happen two years down the line. However, based on our estimates, LTE is going to dominate the less than $100 smartphones, driven by regions like LATAM, Africa and APAC.
  • Presently, MediaTek is not a big player in the PC business, having only a few Chromebook-type devices in the market. The company played down its expectations for substantial growth in the PC sector while confirming that it was interested in the potential of the Arm-based PC market.
  • Smartphones still contribute 53% of the revenues for MediaTek. For longer-term growth, MediaTek has to reduce dependence on smartphones and expand into areas like the smart edge, automotive, connected PCs and AR/VR.

Related Posts

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

IoT Module Market Q3 2021 Counterpoint
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

IoT Chipset Market Q3 2021 Counterpoint
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

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:

Soumen Mandal

The Branding Source: New logo: Twitter

Neil Shah

The Branding Source: New logo: Twitter  

Counterpoint Research

The Branding Source: New logo: Twitter

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

Counterpoint Cellular IoT Module Market 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

Counterpoint Cellular IoT Chipset Market 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

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:

Soumen Mandal

The Branding Source: New logo: Twitter

Neil Shah

The Branding Source: New logo: Twitter  

Counterpoint Research

The Branding Source: New logo: Twitter

press@counterpointresearch.com

 

Related Reports:

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