Merchant-Market Solutions Dominate $2.14 Billion M2M Connected Device Platform (CDP) Market Over Self-Built Platforms

​Connected Device Platforms (CDP) are software that help to facilitate the deployment and management of connected devices for M2M applications over cellular networks. With an expected market of $2.14 billion in 2017, CDP are typically deployed by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and provided to M2M application deployers as a cloud service. While several large MNOs have built their own CDP, there is a clear trend in the market towards third-party-provided solutions. “Several vendors are active in the market, including Ericsson, NSN, and NEC, among others, but the clear leader, in terms of sheer number of operator partners and market traction, is ‘pure-play’ provider Jasper Wireless,” says ABI research practice director Sam Lucero.

As the M2M market becomes a more mainstream segment of the overall mobile industry, CDPs are increasingly becoming a required component of the MNOs’ service offerings. This has made the development and provisioning of CDPs a top issue for the value chain and CDPs have now largely displaced the increasingly commoditized embedded module market as a central focal point of industry discussion and activity.

Several CDP vendors have expressed the idea that the tier-1 MNO customer base for CDPs is now largely “wrapped up” –MNOs have made their selections. While it’s true that key MNOs, such as AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, Vodafone, Orange, Telefonica, and Telenor Connexion have deployed solutions, there remains a large un-tapped potential among Tier-2 MNOs and MNOs in the APAC region and, eventually, the Middle East and Africa.

There may also be the potential for an “upgrade inflection point” in the near future, when MNOs that either deployed their own self-built platform, or a third-party platform, decide to bring in a new outside provider. “Merchant market providers should be aggressively positioning themselves now to be the “upgrade choice” for current CDP-deployed MNOs, as well as targeting MNOs outside of the established Tier-1 players in North America and Europe,” says Lucero.

These findings are part of ABI Research’s M2M Service Delivery Platforms Research Service, which includes additional Competitive Analyses, Vendor Matrices, Market Data, and Insights. 

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 40+ research and advisory services. Est. 1990. For more information visit www.abiresearch.com, or call +1.516.624.2500.