China’s cellular machine-to-machine (M2M) / Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity market will expand steadily over the coming half-decade, with subscriptions projected to grow at a  compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7% between 2025 and 2030, driven by emerging use cases across various industry segments, 5G infrastructure developments by telcos, and their comprehensive M2M/IoT service offerings, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.  

GlobalData’s China Mobile Broadband Forecast (Q3-2025) reveals that the share of M2M/IoT subscriptions of total mobile subscriptions in the country will reach about 30% by 2030, indicating its growing adoption and increasing prominence as a revenue generating segment for telcos.

A large manufacturing base and widespread digitalization in the manufacturing sector, along with a growing number of digital factories that demand a high level of automation and connectivity for real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance of machines, will continue to favor growth in the M2M/IoT market.

Hrushikesh Mahananda, Telecom Analyst at GlobalData, comments “Expanding use cases beyond the manufacturing sector, particularly smart grid and smart metering applications in the utilities sector; vehicle-to-vehicle & vehicle-to-infrastructure applications in the automotive and transportation sector; patient monitoring and connected devices in the healthcare sector; and, most importantly in smart city projects for smart buildings, smart traffic control, and public safety systems, also augur well for the market.”

Government support for integration of M2M/IoT in the manufacturing sector, smart cities, and public infrastructure projects as a part of its national initiatives like “Made in China 2025” and “China 2035” underscores the growing importance of this technology in the country.

Robust 5G infrastructure and developments in 5G-Advanced that enable massive IoT deployments, supporting tens of billions of low-power devices, improving reliability and securing connectivity for Industrial IoT applications, will also favor M2M/IoT expansion in the country. China’s telecom regulator MIIT, for instance, aims to build more than 10,000 5G factories during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period to encourage industrial applications of 5G, particularly in manufacturing.

Mahananda concludes: “Given the growing prominence of M2M/IoT, China’s leading mobile operators have designed comprehensive offerings that are driving growth in M2M/IoT connectivity subscriptions. Operators have also developed advanced M2M/IoT platforms that simplify deployment, integration and enablement of end-to-end M2M/IoT ecosystems across industries, combining not just connectivity but also device management, edge and AI capabilities.”