The Cisco Annual Internet Report for 2018 – 2023 is full of interesting predictions this year. One of the more intriguing predictions is that Machine-to-Machine (M2M) traffic (which they also refer to as Internet of Things (IoT) traffic) will become a little more than half all of the traffic on the web by 2023. That’s an amazing prediction until you stop and think about all of the devices that communicate with the Internet without needing a human interface.

Cisco forecasts several reasons why M2M traffic will grow so much in the next few years. The primary way is through the proliferation of M2M devices. They predict over the 5-year period there will be a 2.4 times growth in connected devices from 6.1 billion in 2018 to 14.7 billion in 2023. That’s a 19% compounded growth rate and by 2023 equals 1.8 connected devices for every person on earth.

The second reason for the growth is that we are using M2M devices for a lot more functions than just a few years ago. Cisco is predicting fast growth in the following categories of M2M

• They predict the number of worldwide connected home devices will grow by 20% per year. This is the largest category of devices and will represent just under 50% of connected devices by 2023. This category includes things like home automation, home security and video surveillance, connected white goods (the new term for connected appliances), and our communications and entertainment devices like smart TVs, laptops, desktops, and smartphones.
• They predict that connected car applications will be the fastest-growing sector, growing at 30% per year. This includes connections made for things like fleet management, in-vehicle entertainment, emergency calling systems, vehicle diagnostics, and vehicle navigation.
• Cisco predicted that connected city applications will be the second fastest-growing M2M category with a 26% compounded growth. This includes things like smart traffic systems, surveillance cameras, weather and environmental monitors, smart parking systems, gunshot monitors, etc.
• They predict that connected health will grow 19% annually. This category mostly consists of telemedicine monitors used for outpatient monitoring.
• Connected energy applications are predicted to grow by 24%. This includes smart grid monitors that track utility usage and loads, and pinpoint network outages quickly. It includes energy monitors, which can turn off air conditioners during times of heavy peak usage. In includes sensors in water systems that track pressure and usage and that predict underground leak locations.
• Cisco predicts connected work will grow by 15%. This is used for things like inventory tracking, surveillance and security monitoring, and tracking and connecting to employees working in the field.
• They predict that connected retail will grow by 11% annually. M2M traffic is being used to track inventory. Big chain stores are starting to track the shopping pattern of individual shoppers to see how they traverse the various departments.
• Connected Manufacturing and Supply Chain will grow by 8% annually. Supply chain monitoring tracks the status of delivery for components needed in the manufacturing process. This also includes smart warehousing that automates packing and shipping or orders. Smart manufacturing supports monitors that track the performance of machinery and manufacturing processes.
• They predict all other M2M traffic will grow by 19%. This would include things like smart agriculture where monitors are tracking individual herd animals and are just starting to be deployed to monitor crop conditions. This would include other things like sports monitors.

The volume of traffic generated by M2M traffic surprises people. So much of what we do happens in the background and we either forget about it or don’t even know it’s happening. For example, there was an article in the Washington Post last year by a reporter that left the country for a month and left his cellphone in his home. During his absence, the phone used a significant portion of his monthly data plan by updating apps and communicating regularly with remote web sites. My wife’s car connects to the web through or WiFi every time she pulls into the driveway and uploads diagnostics of the various monitors and checks for and downloads needed software updates. Whether for good or bad, our machines and electronics are connecting to the web and using broadband.