Kaleido Intelligence Report Finds Regulatory Compliance to be #1 Connectivity Challenge for IoT Providers

Concerns about data privacy and sovereignty outpace security and costs among global mobile network and IoT providers

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, Sep. 2, 2025, Leading connectivity research firm Kaleido Intelligence today released a new report highlighting the shifting priorities of global IoT network operators and service providers. The report, The Connectivity Revolution: What Every IoT Leader Must Prepare For, sponsored by floLIVE, provides insights on the near- and long-term challenges providers must satisfy to succeed in a hyper-competitive market. The report is based on a survey conducted with more than 200 global IoT stakeholders.

“The IoT ecosystem is moving very quickly to serve rapidly changing global business needs driven by AI, edge and localized service expansions, and financial pressures to deliver seamless connectivity at competitive costs,” said Steffen Sorrell, chief of research at Kaleido Intelligence. “It is crucial for IoT network operators and service providers to understand these demands and deliver highly flexible and scalable services that streamline network access and assure regulatory compliance. These are quickly becoming essential elements for ensuring customer satisfaction.”

The report highlights changes in market perceptions, delivers updates on emerging trends, and offers perspectives on success across local and global landscapes.

Key findings include:

• 59% of respondents rank regulatory compliance among their top 3 challenges, ahead of cost, security, and platform complexity.
• 78% say local or regional breakout is “very” or “extremely” important for both performance and compliance.
• CMP aggregation is now mission-critical: 59% call it “crucial,” while 87% consider it at least “somewhat important.”
• Only 2% believe roaming SIMs remain a viable strategy for global IoT deployments — signaling a major market shift.
• Real-time SIM visibility has nearly doubled year-over-year: 57% now offer it, up from 27% in 2024.

The report also provides data and analysis regarding VoLTE, SIM transparency and real-time access, and advances in eSIM capabilities, as well as insights on cybersecurity and non-terrestrial network (NTN) integrations with cellular-based IoT service programs.

To download the report, please visit Analyst Report: The Connectivity Revolution – What Every IoT Leader Must Prepare For

About Kaleido Intelligence

Kaleido Intelligence is a specialist consulting and market research firm with a proven track record of delivering telecom research at the highest level. Kaleido Intelligence is the leading research company addressing mobile roaming and connectivity services in its entirety, covering industry-leading market insights, data forecasts, historical viewpoints, competitive intelligence, and operator market surveys.

Research is led by expert industry analysts, each with significant experience delivering market research and insights that matter.