Roughly 21 billion IoT connections are in service, with NB-IoT and LTE Cat-1 bis leading module shipments and LoRaWAN at 125 million devices outside China. The practical consequence for antenna sourcing: multi-mode, multi-region products, not single-band designs.
| Metric | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connected IoT devices, global | 21.1 billion (+14 % YoY) | 2025 | IoT Analytics |
| — forecast | 39 billion | 2030 (forecast) | IoT Analytics |
| Cellular IoT connections | 4.5 billion | end-2025 | Ericsson Mobility Report, June 2026 |
| — forecast | 7.8 billion | 2031 (forecast) | Ericsson |
| China cellular IoT terminals | 2.888 billion (+8.7 % YoY, 61.3 % of all mobile terminals) | end-2025 | MIIT |
| Cellular IoT shipment mix | NB-IoT 33.5 % · Cat-1 bis 21.4 % · other 4G 18.6 % | 2025 | IoT Analytics |
| LoRaWAN devices deployed | 125 million, ~25 % CAGR, connections in 70 countries | 2025 | LoRa Alliance / Semtech |
| Wi-SUN FAN devices in operation | >120 million | Aug 2026 | Wi-SUN Alliance |
A caution on comparing these figures. IoT Analytics counts 4.7 billion cellular IoT connections for 2025 against Ericsson's 4.5 billion — different counting bases. Pick one source per document and name it. Likewise, LoRa chipset shipments are far larger than LoRaWAN connections: many LoRa-PHY devices run proprietary MACs rather than the LoRaWAN protocol. Do not use the two interchangeably.
NB-IoT is the largest single share of cellular IoT shipments. It runs inside existing LTE bands — typically B1, B3, B5, B8, B20 and B28 — so the antenna requirement is unglamorous: solid coverage of 800–2170 MHz (wider if you need B28 at 703 MHz or B7 at 2600 MHz). The engineering difficulty is not the band; it is that NB-IoT devices are usually meters and sensors installed in hostile RF positions — pits, basements, metal cabinets. Placement and installation robustness beat peak gain.
Cat-1 bis took 21.4 % of 2025 shipments and is the mid-speed option for anything that needs mobility, voice or firmware-over-the-air updates. It is also the explicit replacement target of 5G eRedCap (see the RedCap page). Band requirements are the same LTE set; the differentiator is usually a slightly higher duty cycle and therefore more attention to efficiency.
125 million devices, with utilities as the largest vertical, led by smart water, and smart buildings as the fastest-growing segment. For antenna buyers the consequences are concrete:
Past 120 million FAN devices, standardised as IEEE 802.15.4g-based mesh (IEEE Std 2857, adopted by IEC/ISO) on sub-GHz (868 MHz EU, 902–928 MHz US) plus 2.4 GHz. Japan is the anchor market, where Wi-SUN Route B is the mandated meter-to-home-gateway link and the newer Route IoT unifies electricity, gas and water. Antenna implication: mesh nodes are often mounted at height and outdoors, so the outdoor IP-rating and UV-material questions apply as much as the RF ones.
Sigfox passed into UnaBiz ownership in 2022 and now sits inside a multi-protocol portfolio alongside LoRaWAN, LTE-M and Wi-SUN. Official counters show 70+ countries and 14+ million connected devices. Technically it is ultra-narrowband at ~100 bps. For antenna planning it is a legacy consideration, not a growth driver.
| Decision | Guidance for 2026 |
|---|---|
| Band coverage | Assume multi-region. A single SKU covering 863–928 MHz plus LTE 800–2690 MHz is the common ask; verify each band separately on the VSWR plot |
| Number of antennas | Multi-mode devices may need two antennas (sub-GHz + cellular), or a wideband compromise. Do not let one element cover both without measured data |
| Efficiency over gain | Battery-powered endpoints run for 10+ years; every dB recovered in the antenna is a dB the radio does not burn |
| Placement | The environment (pit, cabinet, metal lid) usually costs more than the antenna choice. Budget for an external element where the enclosure is metal |
| Future-proofing | Cat-1 bis is migrating to eRedCap over the next few years; the LTE band coverage you buy now remains valid |
| Regional variants | Plan SKUs per region rather than searching for one impossible global part |
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Figures are as published by the cited bodies in 2025–2026 and reflect different counting methodologies. Forecasts are labelled as such. Refresh cycle: 3 months.
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