Vodafone claimed it had reached an IoT milestone with 200 million active connections, a feat which reflects the operator’s rapid expansion in the area over the past five years.

The operator hit the 200 million mark with a cardiac health monitor, which delivers vital data to doctors remotely and is connected by Vodafone to its global IoT network, spanning more than 180 countries.

In an update on its IoT development, the company stated it has more than doubled the number of connected devices over the past five years. A significant portion of this growth comes from Germany, where more than a quarter of all connections are located.

Further, the company highlighted the potential of IoT technology to boost efficiency and sustainability, noting that more than half of its active connections support customers in reducing emissions. These include automating the monitoring of electricity grids, tracking energy consumption in smart buildings, and managing traffic flow to cut congestion.

Vodafone’s IoT network also supports use cases including preventing vehicle thefts, tracking industrial assets and detecting natural disasters.

Vodafone highlighted the adoption of integrated SIM technology as a key part of its IoT push, as it enabled large-scale deployments like parcel tracking and smart metering. The technology embeds connectivity directly into chipsets at the point of device manufacture, with the operator touting the approach as crucial to simplifying logistics, cutting costs and streamlining activation.

Looking ahead, Erik Brenneis, CEO of Vodafone IoT, stated the milestone was “the beginning of our hyperscale journey”.

The news comes shortly after Vodafone struck a partnership with Mobily to accelerate IoT growth in Saudi Arabia as the operator pushes to expand its footprint across new regions.