A recent report from IMS Research showed that the number of Internet-connected devices has just passed the 5 billion mark. According to the research company’s President Ian Weightman, a second wave of connected devices will lift that number fourfold to 22 billion by 2020. “The second wave of growth is being driven by the cellular industry, and the global number of Internet-connected cell phones has now surpassed the number of connected computers and is growing at a much faster rate,” he said. Added to the number of connected devices are emerging technologies that include tablets, netbooks, eReaders, Internet TVs, cameras and digital picture frames. Weightman also noted that 6 billion cell phones, many of which will be Internet-connected, are anticipated to be in operation globally by 2020. He also predicts a third wave that will be based on machine-to-machine deployments and include smart grids, networked security cameras and sensors, connected home appliances and ITS infrastructure for traffic.
