LoRaWAN hits 125 million IoT devices as growth surges

Industry group LoRa Alliance said global deployments of devices using the LoRaWAN low-power wide-area network standard have passed 125 million, signalling faster adoption of the technology across large-scale internet of things projects.

The organisation reported a compound annual growth rate of 25% across its ecosystem. It said some vendors with the largest networks are recording growth rates as high as 50%.

LoRaWAN is an open standard for low-power, long-range wireless connectivity. Companies use it in applications such as smart metering, building management and city infrastructure where devices often operate for years in the field.

"125 million deployed devices is a huge milestone and the LoRa Alliance is playing a key role in the acceleration of IoT rollouts," said Alper Yegin, Chief Executive Officer, LoRa Alliance. "It tells us several things. First, the LoRaWAN standard is mature. Second, when the technology meets mature implementation, productization, marketing and sales activities, then the growth rate exceeds 25% CAGR -and will continue to rise. Third, LoRaWAN enables Massive IoT and plays a key role in bringing AI into the physical world."

The alliance said the new total covers end devices that use LoRaWAN globally. These devices include sensors, meters and other hardware that connect through LoRaWAN networks in public and private deployments.

It said IoT deployments based on LoRaWAN now span multiple regions and industries. Smart metering, smart buildings and smart cities remain the main markets that account for the largest numbers of devices.

The group named several large-scale projects already underway. Metering specialist ZENNER has deployed around 10 million LoRaWAN devices. Network operator Actility has 4.6 million devices on its platforms. The Things Industries, which focuses on LoRaWAN network services, has 3.8 million devices deployed.

Water metering firm Birdz operates 3.6 million meters connected via LoRaWAN. Netmore, which runs LoRaWAN networks in several countries, has 3.4 million devices, according to the alliance.

Analyst firm Transforma Insights tracks growth in the IoT sector. "Passing the milestone of 125 million devices and the continuing strong growth reflects LoRaWAN's great capabilities in addressing a diverse array of IoT use cases, and its vibrant ecosystem. It remains one of the key technologies driving the growth of IoT," said Matt Hatton, Founding Partner, Transforma Insights.

CES presence

LoRa Alliance plans a large presence at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. The group said this reflects LoRaWAN's position in mainstream technology discussions and its growing role in consumer and industrial applications.

The alliance will run live demonstrations and a dedicated conference track at the event. The mainstage programme is titled "Massive IoT Unfolding: LoRaWAN in Action" and will run as a three-hour session in the Las Vegas Convention Centre North Hall.

The agenda includes three sessions focused on deployment examples, business models and large-scale rollouts. Speakers will include representatives from LoRa Alliance, The Things Industries, Browan Communications, Kerlink, Seeed Studio, Semtech, MultiTech, NNNCo and ZENNER.

The first hour, "LoRaWAN in Action! Turning IoT into Reality," will feature Alper Yegin of LoRa Alliance alongside Wienke Giezeman of The Things Industries and Henry Huang of Browan Communications. They will present live examples of LoRaWAN-based deployments.

The second hour, "Real-world ROI - How Industry Leaders are Monetizing LoRaWAN Today," will examine customer return on investment in current networks. Scheduled speakers are Yannick Delibie of Kerlink, Betty Fan of Seeed Studio, Michele Lozada of Semtech and Rishabh Chauhan of The Things Industries.

The final hour, "LoRaWAN at Scale: Global Innovation and the Future of IoT Connectivity," will look at large rollouts. Speakers will include Duane Wald of MultiTech, Rob Zagarella of NNNCo, Alper Yegin of LoRa Alliance and Rich Sanders of ZENNER.

Pavilion showcases

LoRa Alliance will also host a pavilion on the CES show floor. Exhibitors will run demonstrations of live LoRaWAN deployments in buildings, cities, supply chains and utilities.

Browan Communications plans to show its B-SAFE Zone-Level Tracking System. The company said the system allows industrial operators to locate workers and machinery inside large sites during daily operations and emergencies.

Cicicom will present a smart parking deployment on the Greek island of Paros. The project uses LoRaWAN-certified products and gives residents and visitors information on available parking spaces and payment status.

Kerlink will show outdoor gateways for the US market. It will also demonstrate its Management Cockpit software-as-a-service platform, which allows administrators to monitor network status and carry out remote diagnosis and updates.

MClimate will demonstrate its Vicki smart thermostat and a range of environmental sensors. The company has rolled out these devices in hospitals, student housing, apartments and a large mixed retail and office complex across Europe.

MultiTech intends to display a LoRaWAN IoT network used by a global manufacturer. That deployment focuses on process efficiency and monitoring in industrial operations.

Australian operator NNNCo will feature its PowerPilot system. The solution gives utilities real-time visibility and control of distributed energy resources such as solar and storage systems at the grid edge. Its M11 monitor tracks voltage, load and power flow at connection points. The S11 device supports load management for demand response and grid stability.

RAKwireless will bring a portfolio of LoRaWAN products that includes gateways, operating systems and modules. The company will highlight recent residential water-monitoring projects that track consumption and detect waste.

Seeed Technology will focus on LoRaWAN hardware and integration support. Its demonstrations will describe how facility operators use connected sensors and gateways to adjust operations and energy use.

Semtech will present a preventative maintenance demonstration that combines edge artificial intelligence with LoRaWAN connectivity. The system monitors vibration signatures from industrial machines and identifies patterns associated with wear or failure.

SenArch will show its ARCH1 energy-harvesting LoRaWAN gateway. The company designed the gateway for rugged environments in smart city and industrial projects. It supports monitoring of wildfires, floods and extreme weather incidents and offers off-grid connectivity in remote areas.

TEKTELIC will demonstrate its eDoctor remote health monitoring device. The company will also show an asset and inventory visibility system used by a major utility across warehouses, yards and service vehicles.

The Things Industries will present two customer projects. One focuses on retail security and the other on cold chain monitoring for food services. Both use the company's The Things Indoor Gateway Pro.

WIKA will demonstrate LoRaWAN sensors that use adaptive artificial intelligence for predictive maintenance of rotating machinery such as motors and pumps. The demonstration will show vibration monitoring and anomaly detection that aims to reduce unplanned downtime.

ZENNER will highlight smart water, gas and heat metering products that use LoRaWAN. The company will also show meter connectivity that includes satellite links for remote and hard-to-reach locations.

"Passing the milestone of 125 million devices and the continuing strong growth reflects LoRaWAN's great capabilities in addressing a diverse array of IoT use cases, and its vibrant ecosystem. It remains one of the key technologies driving the growth of IoT," said Hatton.