Juniper Research predicted massive growth for IoT roaming data over the next five years, as operator 3G network shutdowns push users towards alternative low-power set ups.

In a report, the research company tipped data generated by roaming IoT connections to increase from 86 petabytes in 2022 to 1,100 petabytes by 2027, a rise of 1,140 per cent.

Juniper Research explained roaming IoT connections employ networks beyond their registered operator’s set up.

The sunsetting of 3G networks is likely to fuel growth in LPWA alternatives rather than for 4G and 5G technologies, it noted.

Juniper Research expects roaming IoT connections from the US to generate 277 petabytes of data by 2027, accounting for 26 per cent of the global total.

Research author Scarlett Woodford noted US operators will need to adopt a specific billing and charging protocol to ensure they accurately identify IoT traffic based on network technologies.

“Failure to do so will risk revenue leakage if lucrative 5G roaming IoT traffic is misidentified as lower-value connectivity.”

However, Juniper Research stated the proportion of 5G IoT roaming traffic by 2027 is likely to stand at around 2 per cent of the global total, because most devices are low power and send data infrequently.

It identified autonomous vehicles and connected factories as examples of use cases which would require 5G connectivity, due to the low-latency and high data rates involved.