Internet of Things (IoT) usage is increasing rapidly and now accounts for the lion’s share of growth in the Irish mobile market. “It is growing at an even faster rate in Ireland than globally,” says Eóin MacManus, chief business officer with Three Ireland. “According to the latest Global Cellular IoT Devices market report, the IoT devices segment had a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2 per cent between 2019 and 2022. The market was valued at US$18.73 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $44.2 billion in 2029.”
The growth rate was even more impressive in Ireland, he adds. “It was 28.1 per cent for the 2019-2022 period and 27.7 per cent when 2023 is included.”
Putting those statistics in context, he points out that the overall annual growth rate in the Irish mobile market including voice, broadband and IoT was 9 per cent for the period from 2019 to 2023 but when IoT is stripped out it falls to just 3.1 per cent.
And Three has accounted for the majority of that growth in the IoT market. “Three takes IoT very seriously and we have a very strong focus on it,” says MacManus. “Our own IoT business grew at an annual rate of 39.4 per cent between 2019 and 2023 and Three now holds a 74 per cent share of the market. We are the largest player by a very significant margin.”
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The use cases for IoT span every sector including transport, retail, security, and manufacturing, he explains. “In the retail sector, IoT-connected sensors can monitor air quality indicators such as CO2 levels in real-time and adjust air conditioning systems to purify the air as and when required. This can reduce heating, ventilation and air-conditioning energy consumption by up to 40 per cent.”
The applications in transport include in-car entertainment, maintenance and diagnostic applications and much more. “It can also be used for fleet management to track and monitor vehicles wirelessly, to maximise efficiency and drive superior performance,” he adds. “It can report vehicle location, distance covered, speed, and fuel consumption, for example.”
It can also be used to improve the efficiency of industrial processes. “IoT-connected sensors can monitor almost every aspect of the process and report any variations before they cause problems. In construction, it can be used in a variety of areas like health and safety compliance. Connected cameras can monitor if safety protocols are being observed and to identify hazards and risks. The technology can also enhance the security of business premises by connecting and managing CCTV cameras, monitors and alarm systems.”
Three’s proven track record in the space along with its service offering are key competitive differentiators, according to MacManus. Those credentials include winning the connectivity provider contract for the ESB smart metering rollout in 2019. “The service level agreement for connectivity is higher than the vast majority of smart meter rollouts around the world,” he says.
“When businesses come to us for our services, the number of connected devices they are using can vary from single digits to thousands or even millions,” he continues. “We have been in the business for more than a decade and have developed significant expertise and capability over that time. Our Irish IoT arm is the centre of excellence for the Three Group internationally and it supports customers of every size in every sector. We provide our customers with physical Sims, IoT profile Sims and e-Sims, and a portal to allow them to manage all of the devices from a single dashboard. What we have done is develop an IoT ecosystem that offers our customers complete solutions that fix a lot of real business issues. Underpinning that is our award-winning Limerick call centre. The team there supports Three IoT customers across various markets in the UK, Europe, and the US as well as Ireland.”
The company has also developed a nationwide low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) to help maximise coverage, lower costs and reduce the power consumption of IoT devices. “The new networks will support narrowband IoT (NBIoT) and long-term evolution mobile,” MacManus says.
The overall aim is to facilitate a significant technology transition. He explains that the majority of IoT systems were built for 2G mobile networks — the old GSM network that the first generation of digital mobile phones used.
“These networks are being phased out all over the world and are already gone in the US,” he points out. “The LPWAN is the equivalent of 2G on the 5G network. It offers all the functions and features of 2G along with the advantages of 5G. One of the features of IoT is low data and power usage at a low cost. That will continue by using the LPWAN networks.”