Global SIM Card Market Reaches 5.2 Billion Units in 2014—LTE, NFC, M2M Gaining Momentum

image
15 Jan 2015

ABI Research forecasts that global SIM card shipments will reach 5.2 billion units in 2014, marking a revitalizing 5.32% increase from 2013. LTE, NFC, and M2M have successfully paved their way into the industry and are considered the trends for the next few years.

Large markets like India, China, and Saudi Arabia are currently among the last countries to undergo ID registration regulations. Among them only India saw a massive decline in shipments during 2013 but data from 2014 show that the market has successfully stabilized and steady growth is expected from 2015 onwards.

The era of technological advances brings forth renewed competition while the market share battle rages on. In one of the major highlights of 2014, European Union (E.U.) vendors are pushing forward with new product developments in an effort to claim a bigger portion of the market. Two smaller E.U. vendors (Bluefish and ST Incard) have increased their shares significantly in 2014, while the combined market shares of E.U. companies including the big four vendors (Gemalto, Oberthur Technologies, Morpho, and G&D) were calculated at 70% for 2012, 74% for 2013, and 75% for 1H 2014. On the other hand, Asian vendors (Eastcompeace, Watchdata, Datang, Wuhan Tianyu, and Kona) seem to be struggling to maintain their market shares as this is the third consecutive year that their shares declined. Overall, the combined market share for Asian vendors in 2012 was 25%, 20% in 1H 2013, and 18% in 1H 2014.

The three trends gaining momentum in 2014 onwards are LTE, NFC, and M2M. Research Analyst Dimitrios Pavlakis comments: “Exploring global data we found that in 2014 we witnessed the crucial moment when technology curved at a higher percentage towards LTE. For the United States, Japan, and South Korea this transition was achieved quite smoothly while Africa and India are experiencing difficulties in their attempt to invest and upgrade their current network infrastructure. The board is set and LTE, NFC, and M2M are the rapidly increasing trends of the market. Global analysis in 2014 suggests 83% increase in LTE technology, 153% increase in SWP Secure Element SIM shipments, and 63% increase in MFF shipments since 2013.”

These findings are part of ABI Research’s Secure ICs and Smart Card Technologies Market Research.

ABI Research provides in-depth analysis and quantitative forecasting of trends in global connectivity and other emerging technologies. From offices in North America, Europe and Asia, ABI Research’s worldwide team of experts advises thousands of decision makers through 70+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.

About ABI Research

ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm delivering actionable research and strategic guidance to technology leaders, innovators, and decision makers around the world. Our research focuses on the transformative technologies that are dramatically reshaping industries, economies, and workforces today.

ABI Research提供开创性的研究和战略指导,帮助客户了解日新月异的技术。 自1990年以来,我们已与全球数百个领先的技术品牌,尖端公司,具有远见的政府机构以及创新的贸易团体建立了合作关系。 我们帮助客户创造真实的业务成果。

For more information about ABI Research’s services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific, or visit www.abiresearch.com.

Contact ABI Research

Media Contacts

Americas: +1.516.624.2542
Europe: +44.(0).203.326.0142
Asia: +65 6950.5670

Related Service