Driven by widespread availability and adoption of 5G services, 5G network evolution and modernization, evolving use cases for IoT/M2M connectivity, and strong government support for IoT/M2M ecosystems, the total M2M/IoT cellular connections are forecast to reach 22.1 million in Australia by end of 2030, maintaining a healthy compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7% from 2025 to 2030, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
GlobalData’s Australia Mobile Broadband Forecast (Q2 2025) reveals that 5G mobile subscriptions in the country are expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.6% between 2025 and 2030, favoring the M2M/IoT market with 5G connectivity enabling higher capacity, low latency and more scalable M2M/IoT deployments across sectors.
Srikanth Vaidya, Telecom Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Evolving use cases for M2M/IoT across industries—such as telehealth & remote diagnostics, smart retail stores, smart manufacturing, fleet management & logistics, smart cities & infrastructure, automation in agriculture, and cybersecurity-enhanced networks— combined with telcos’ dedicated connectivity plans will also drive M2M/IoT adoption in the country over the forecast period.”
In January 2025, the Australian government, in partnership with IoT Alliance Australia (IoTAA), launched a Labelling Scheme for Smart Devices with a funding of up to AUD1.7 ($1.07) million. The program aims to improve security and standards within the IT industry, particularly focusing on M2M/IoT consumer smart devices, thereby expanding opportunities for telcos in this segment.
Telstra will lead Australia’s M2M/IoT market in terms of subscriptions through 2030, primarily driven by its flexible IoT/M2M data plans tailored for low data sensors and high usage connected devices. The company’s IoT data SIM plans start from 50KB at AUD1.76 ($1.11), while shared data plans range up to 1TB at AUD605 ($380). Optus too offers a suite of IoT solutions, including telematics, connected car, emergency lift phone replacing PSTN and digital signage, designed to simplify and enable business processes – from optimizing fleet management to ensuring reliable communication systems.
Vaidya concludes: “The growing demand for IoT solutions and connectivity is poised to significantly transform the mobile services market in Australia, and operators who offer dedicated M2M/IoT connectivity plans and services targeted at emerging use cases will stand to benefit from the trend.”
