2017 was an exciting year for the IoT and telecom market in Japan as there has been increasing uptake of advanced solutions in the market. Most IoT deployments in Japan are in the Proof of Concept phase, but in 2018, we expect this to quickly change as an increasing number of solutions become commercial. According to recent ITR research (the “IoT Investment Survey”), only 21% of large and middle-sized Japanese companies deployed IoT solutions in 2017, but as we expect this number to pass 40% by 2020, 2018 will be a year of significant market activity. The telecom market is also advancing as 2018 will see new wireless technologies introduced in Japan which will help develop the market.
Smart Factory & Automotives Will Still Be the Main Focus Areas – Given the importance of the manufacturing and automotive industries to Japan’s economy, these two verticals will remain very much in the limelight in 2018. Discussions around “Industry 4.0” will continue and will focus heavily on IoT platforms with capabilities to deal with manufacturing. In the automotive sector, given the huge push that autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles are now getting in the USA, there will be continued discussion around V2X communications capabilities, although this will still take a few years to develop as 5G comes of age.