LIVE FROM MOBILE 360 LATIN AMERICA: GSMA Intelligence estimates there were 16.1 million cellular M2M connections in Latin America at the end of 2014, putting it behind Asia Pacific, Europe and North America.

Growth in cellular M2M connections is forecast at 25 per cent per year (CAGR) until 2020, reaching 62 million connections by this point. With cellular M2M connections accounting for around 2 per cent of total connections in the region today, this is forecast to rise to 7 per cent by the end of the period.

Brazil is currently the largest market, with 9.9 million cellular M2M connections at year-end 2014, accounting for 61 per cent of the total market in the region. A reduction in the SIM card tax on “non-person” operated M2M devices has stimulated the market, helping drive growth in areas such as vehicle telematics and smart metering.

“Operators in the region are providing more than just the connectivity component underpinning cellular M2M; they are developing new business models in conjunction with both local public and private partners that can provide end-to-end M2M solutions that can serve a broad range of vertical markets,” Sebastian Cabello, head of GSMA Latin America, said.

GSMA Intelligence’s M2M in Latin America report can be downloaded here.