The installed base of smart streetlights amounted to 23-million globally at the end of 2022, according to a new research report from IoT analysts, Berg Insight. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22,7%, the installed base will reach 63,8-million by the end of 2027.
Europe leads the adoption of smart street lighting technology and accounted for as much as 35% of the global installed base in 2022. North America is catching up with Europe and is growing robustly, accounting for around 37% of global shipment volumes in 2022. China was, at the same time, home to almost half of the installed base of smart streetlights outside Europe and North America.
The world’s leading smart street lighting vendor was, as of Q3-2023, Signify which, with nearly 4,9-million connected streetlights accounted for 18% of the global installed base. The company climbed to pole position after acquiring the former market leader Telensa in July 2021. Included in the top three were also US-based Itron and the Chinese Fonda Technology, of which the latter has most of its lighting controllers deployed in the domestic market.
In total, the top three vendors accounted for almost a third of the global installed base of individually controlled smart streetlights. Itron furthermore also constitutes a global leader in the networking segment. Major smart street lighting players also include Quantela, Dimonoff, Ubicquia, and LED Roadway Lighting from North America; Schréder from Belgium; Rongwen Energy Technology Group from China; Revetec and Umpi from Italy; Flashnet (Lucy Group) from Romania; Lucy Zodion (Lucy Group) and SSE from the UK; and ST Engineering Telematics Wireless from Singapore/Israel.
“The smart street lighting market experienced significant growth in 2022 and the first quarters of 2023 after a slowdown during 2021 following supply chain constraints and delays in the issuance of tenders for new projects in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic,” says William Ankreus, IoT analyst at Berg Insight.
Cities and municipalities have become increasingly aware of energy costs and environmental issues related to street lighting which has been a catalyst for growth in the smart street lighting market. While proprietary RF networking platforms have been the dominant connectivity type for smart street lighting deployments, the market is now clearly trending towards increased use of cellular communications in several parts of the world.
“The simplicity and plug-and-play nature of cellular connectivity have made it an increasingly popular alternative for smart street lighting deployments and is expected to be the fastest growing connectivity technology,” Ankreus says.