Pelion Release The Connected Fleet 2026

The multi-trillion-dollar ‘hidden’ revolution. How better IoT connectivity could drive AI’s success and unlock the world’s economy  

• 676 IoT decision surveyed for international IoT connectivity report  

• Businesses increasingly shifting from domestic tech deployment to internationally connected devices  

• Skills and expertise shortage the single largest obstacle to successful IoT deployments  

Glasgow, United Kingdom, Thursday 9 July 2026: — The world could be on the verge of a connectivity revolution by 2030, according to new research from IoT firm Pelion, but the race to embrace is being held back by security, skills and scaling concerns.  

676 IoT decision-makers in major businesses across the world and spanning multiple industry groups, (255 in the UK), were questioned for The Connected Fleet 2026, produced by Pelion in partnership with ABI Research.  

The rapid evolution of IoT , combined with an increasingly global marketplace for growth-hungry companies and IoT solution providers means effective, consistent cellular connectivity has become essential infrastructure for businesses in a multitude of industries – enabling organisations to track assets across the world, monitor performance remotely, optimise supply chains and respond faster to operational issues wherever and whenever they occur.  

The findings reveal enterprise IoT deployments are rapidly becoming international, forcing organisations to rethink how they manage connectivity, security and operations at scale. Among the headline findings, respondents expect the proportion of internationally connected devices within their fleets to rise from 29 percent today to 49 percent by 2030, reflecting a significant shift away from domestically focused IoT deployments. 

Meanwhile, adoption of eSIM technology continues to accelerate. The report forecasts that SGP.32-compliant profile downloads — the first eSIM standard designed specifically for IoT deployments — will account for 45 percent of deployments by 2030, up from just 7.6 percent today. 

Recent estimates from McKinsey1 suggest up to $12.6 trillion in Annual Economic Value could be unlocked by 2030 if current momentum behind IoT adoption continues. The figure represents the equivalent of more than a tenth of global economic output, driven primarily be significant improvements in productivity, strengthened supply chains, reduced downtimes and broader operational efficiencies.  

Despite the positive outlook, shortage of expertise emerged as the single largest obstacle to successful deployments, with 60 percent of respondents reporting that a lack of internal or external knowledge delays or blocks projects — ahead of budget constraints and connectivity issues. 

The study also found that operational complexity, rather than network coverage itself, is now the largest ongoing challenge facing enterprise IoT programmes. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of respondents identified managing deployments outside their core coverage area as their biggest scaling issue, compared with 41 percent citing coverage limitations.  

Security concerns are also intensifying as deployments mature. Almost one in four organisations (24.6 percent) experienced an IoT-related security incident during the past year, with 30 percent of those incidents resulting in losses exceeding $100,000 (£74,500) and 8 percent exceeding $1 million (£750,000). 

The research also points to major changes in how organisations plan to buy and manage cellular connectivity in future. More than three quarters (77 percent) of respondents not currently using a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) said they would consider one for their next deployment, citing flexibility, simplified management and access to multiple networks as key drivers. 

Dave Weidner, CEO of Pelion, said: 

“Connectivity itself is no longer the difficult part of enterprise IoT. The challenge comes when enterprise customers take their fleets internationally, grow in scale, and operate across multiple networks, jurisdictions, and regulatory environments. Organisations are increasingly looking for partners that can simplify that operational complexity rather than add to it.”  

“The potential for an IoT revolution is significant, but only if we can overcome some of the critical infrastructure, security and expertise barriers holding deployment back. If we can overcome some of the short-term challenges, the future of enterprise IoT connectivity will be increasingly borderless, managed and eSIM-enabled, with buyers placing greater emphasis on security architecture, advisory services and unified management platforms when selecting connectivity providers.”  

References  

1: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/tech-and-ai/our-insights/iot-value-set-to-accelerate-through-2030-where-and-how-to-capture-it 

About Pelion  

Pelion is a Managed Service provider for IoT connectivity powered by decades of industry experience. Founded in Scotland as one of the first IoT-focused MVNOs as Stream Technologies in 2000, Pelion now boasts more than 1,000 enterprise clients across a wide range of industries.  

With a proven track record of being first to market with technologies such as LPWAN, eSIM and 5G, Pelion has always been at the heart of IoT connectivity providing customers with what they need most. 

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