IoT to Represent More Than Half of Connected Device Landscape by 2021

The total number of devices connected to IP networks is projected to be three times the global population by 2021. Internet of things (IoT) technologies specifically are expected to represent more than half of the total 27.1 billion devices and connections.

The infographic represents data for North America, where there will be an estimated 12.9 networked devices and connections per person. Image: Cisco.

That analysis comes from Cisco’s recent Visual Networking Index for the 2016-2021 forecast period. Wireless and mobile devices will make up 63 percent of total IP traffic by 2021 — up from 51 percent in 2016. ”TVs, tablets, smartphones and machine-to- machine (M2M) modules will have traffic growth rates of 21 percent, 29 percent, 49 percent and 49 percent, respectively,” according to the report. Connected home, connected healthcare, smart cars and other M2M services will play a key role in this growth. Notably, traffic from smartphones will outpace PC traffic by 2021. PCs in 2016 accounted for 46 percent of total IP traffic, but they will only make up 25 percent of traffic by the end of the forecast period.

The company also found that internet traffic during the “busy hour,” or the busiest one-hour period in a day, is outpacing average internet traffic. Busy hour traffic will increase 51 percent in 2021 compared to 32 percent in 2016. To compensate, broadband speeds are expected to double (from 27.5 mbps to 53 mbps) by 2021.

Other key takeaways include:

  • IP video traffic will increase from 73 percent of all internet consumer traffic in 2016 to 82 percent in 2021 (with live streaming accounting for 13 percent);
  • Virtual and augmented reality traffic is expected to increase 20-fold during the forecast period at a compound annual growth rate of 82 percent; and
  • Internet video surveillance traffic is anticipated to grow during the forecast period, comprising 3.4 percent of all internet traffic.

To learn more, view the full report.

About the Author

Sri Ravipati is Web producer for THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • closeup of hands typing on laptop with AI imagery overlaid

    Copilot Fall Update Introduces New Features

    Microsoft has unveiled a major update to its Copilot AI platform, adding new features to make the system more personalized, collaborative, and integrated across its suite of products.

  • Jasper Halekas, instrument lead for the Analyzer for Cusp Electrons (ACE), checks final calibration. ACE was designed and built at the University of Iowa for the TRACERS mission.

    TRACERS: The University of Iowa Leads NASA-Funded Space Weather Research with Twin Satellites

    Working in tandem, the recently launched TRACERS satellites enable new measurement strategies that will produce significant data for the study of space weather. And as lead institution for the mission, the University of Iowa upholds its long-held value of bringing research collaborations together with academics.

  • padlock and circuit patterns

    Veeam to Acquire Securiti AI to Combine Data Resilience and AI Security

    Veeam Software has announced plans to acquire Securiti AI for $1.725 billion to unite data resilience, privacy, and AI trust in a platform aimed at helping organizations securely manage and unlock the value of their data across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

  • stylized figures, resumes, a graduation cap, and a laptop interconnected with geometric shapes

    OpenAI to Launch AI-Powered Jobs Platform

    OpenAI announced it will launch an AI-powered hiring platform by mid-2026, directly competing with LinkedIn and Indeed in the professional networking and recruitment space. The company announced the initiative alongside an expanded certification program designed to verify AI skills for job seekers.