Government IoT endpoint electronics market to reach USD15bn in 2020

The largest revenue opportunities in the government IoT market in 2020 are in outdoor surveillance, street and outdoor lighting and road toll and traffic management.

"The Covid-19 pandemic is slowing down spending. However, governments across the globe continue to use IoT technologies and solutions to improve citizen safety. At the same time, the falling endpoint and connectivity costs make smart city initiatives more viable," said Kay Sharpington, principal research analyst at Gartner.

Globally, Gartner expects governments will deploy eight cameras per thousand urban citizens for outdoor surveillance by 2021, up from six cameras per thousand in 2019.

"Governments are increasing their spending on outdoor surveillance cameras to monitor cities for crime. In the wake of Covid-19, they are also used to track compliance with safety restrictions," said Sharpington.

Across all countries, the Chinese government is the key contributor to the outdoor surveillance spending growth.

The Chinese government is investing in cameras that harness advanced image recognition techniques and will deploy 32 cameras per thousand urban citizens for outdoor surveillance by 2021, up from 27 cameras per thousand in 2019.

Police agencies are also increasingly deploying drones to aid efficient management of traffic and gain information about dangerous situations before officers risk their lives.

"Unlike police vehicles or stationary cameras, drones offer a more effective and moveable viewpoint, independent of traffic and terrain," said Sharpington.

Globally, Gartner analysts expect that fire services and police drones will grow from one per 58,000 people to one per 18,000 between 2019 and 2021.