Introduction: Why Module Choice Matters
The cellular IoT module sitting inside a connected device might seem like a commodity. It is a small component buried beneath layers of firmware, housing, and cloud infrastructure. But the choice of module is one of the most consequential decisions an IoT product team has to make. It determines which radio-type a device can access, how much power it consumes, what certifications it carries, and ultimately, how reliably it operates in the field for years or even decades.
At 1NCE, we manage connectivity for more than 30,000 customers worldwide, who themselves use over 6,270 different device types from 940+ manufacturers across 100+ countries and 17 industries. This broad customer base gives us and our customers the chance to learn from each other. It tells us what hardware the IoT industry actually deploys, not what vendors claim is popular, but what real businesses choose when they commit to a product design.
The UK Top 10: EC25 Leads, but Diversity Rules
This analysis focuses on the United Kingdom, one of Europe's most dynamic IoT markets and a bellwether for trends that often spread across the continent. Drawing from aggregated and anonymized data across 1NCE Insights, we rank the top 10 cellular IoT modules by 1NCE's customer adoption in the UK. Specifically we are listing how many distinct businesses use each module, revealing the hardware backbone of British IoT.
Quectel's EC25 holds the top position with 16.2% of customer adoption, a slightly stronger lead than its US counterpart (15.5%). Nordic Semiconductor's nRF9160 holds second with 13.4%, followed by Quectel's BG95 at 10.8%.
The most notable UK-specific feature appears at position four: Teltonika's TM2500 at 10.2%. Teltonika Networks, a Lithuanian manufacturer known primarily for industrial networking equipment and GPS tracking devices, does not appear in the US top 10 at all. The TM2500 is a vehicle tracking and telematics gateway, and its prominence in the UK reflects the country's mature fleet management and logistics sector.
The spread across the UK top 10 is more even than the US. Where the American market has a dramatic cliff after position four, the UK distribution from position four (10.2%) to position ten (7.0%) represents a gentler slope. This suggests a more fragmented market where no single use case dominates.
Module-by-Module Analysis
The EC25's top ranking reaffirms its position as the default LTE Cat 4 module for businesses that need reliable, higher-bandwidth connectivity. In the UK, this likely encompasses smart retail, connected building management, and enterprise gateway applications.
The nRF9160's second-place showing (13.4%) is particularly impressive when combined with its device count: over 261,000 devices. Not to mention that it is, alongside Teltonika, one of only two non-Chinese modules in the UK top 10. The UK has a vibrant startup and scaleup ecosystem in IoT, with cities like Cambridge, Bristol, and Manchester home to numerous companies building LPWAN-connected products. The nRF9160's developer-friendly ecosystem resonates with this community. The average deployment size of roughly 1,625 devices per customer suggests many of these deployments have moved well beyond the pilot stage.
Teltonika's TM2500 at fourth place (10.2%, 14,691 devices) represents a category absent from the US ranking: dedicated telematics gateways. The UK's fleet management sector is mature, driven by regulatory requirements around driver hours, vehicle tracking for insurance, and last-mile delivery optimization. The TM2500 is not a standalone module in the traditional sense; it is an integrated tracking device. Its presence in the top 10 reflects how UK businesses approach IoT: many prefer turnkey hardware solutions over custom module designs.
Quectel's EG915 in fifth place (10.0%) is a notable UK differentiator. This Cat 1bis module, designed as a cost-effective fallback for 2G sunset migration, performs much better in the UK than in the US (where it barely makes the list at 4.4%). The UK's ongoing 2G/3G network transitions have created significant demand for affordable modules that can replace legacy 2G devices without the cost of jumping to Cat 4 or the complexity of LPWAN.
The Manufacturer Landscape: Chinese Dominance with Notable Exceptions
The UK is the only market in our five-country analysis where four distinct manufacturers appear in the top 10. Quectel leads with five modules, SIMCom holds three, and both Nordic Semiconductor and Teltonika Networks claim one spot each.
Even with this diversity, the picture is clear: 8 out of 10 modules in the UK top 10 come from Chinese manufacturers. Quectel and SIMCom, both headquartered in Shanghai, dominate the ranking. Nordic Semiconductor (Trondheim, Norway) and Teltonika Networks (Vilnius, Lithuania) are the only European entries. While four manufacturers is broader than the three-player field seen in the US, France, and Spain, the concentration of Chinese vendors still raises the same questions about supply chain resilience and technology sovereignty that are increasingly part of the conversation across Western markets.
Teltonika's presence is particularly instructive. The company has built a strong distribution network across Europe, with authorized partners in the UK providing pre-configured fleet management solutions. Their approach, selling integrated, ready-to-deploy hardware rather than bare modules, aligns with a UK market that increasingly values speed-to-deployment over hardware customization.
SIMCom's position is anchored by the SIM800 in sixth place (8.8%). The SIM800 is a 2G module. Its persistence in the 2026 UK ranking is a testament to the long tail of legacy deployments. Many UK businesses deployed SIM800-based devices years ago for applications like vending machine telemetry, basic alarm panels, and industrial monitoring. As 2G sunset dates firm up, these customers will face migration decisions that could reshape the UK top 10 significantly.
What the Data Reveals About UK IoT Maturity
Three characteristics distinguish the UK from peer markets. First, the balance between Cat 4 and LPWAN adoption is more even than in the US. The EC25 and EG25 (Cat 4) together account for about 24% of the top 10, while LPWAN modules (nRF9160, BG95) account for about 24% as well. This parity reflects a market where both high-bandwidth and low-power use cases have reached similar levels of maturity.
Second, the presence of the EG915 (Cat 1bis) at 10%, triple its US share, points to a market actively managing the 2G/3G transition. UK operators have published clearer sunset timelines than many US carriers, giving businesses the certainty they need to plan module upgrades. The EG915's affordability makes it the path of least resistance for many legacy migrations.
Third, the UK market shows a higher proportion of "gateway" and "integrated device" customers (via Teltonika) compared to markets where bare module selection dominates. This suggests the UK IoT market has a higher proportion of businesses that buy IoT as a service or a packaged solution rather than designing custom hardware, a sign of market maturity where the focus shifts from technology selection to operational outcomes.
Strategic Implications and Outlook
The UK IoT module landscape is poised for significant change over the next 18 to 24 months. The finalization of 2G/3G sunset timelines will drive a wave of device replacements, likely benefiting Cat 1 and Cat 1bis modules like the A7670 and EG915 in the near term. The growing emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainability in UK building regulations could accelerate LPWAN adoption for smart building applications. And as 5G RedCap modules become commercially available at competitive price points, the UK, with its early 5G network deployments, may be among the first European markets to see them enter the top 10.
For businesses evaluating the UK market, the data confirms that a diversified module strategy is prudent. No single module commands overwhelming share, and the market's fragmentation means that application-specific requirements (power budget, bandwidth needs, carrier certification, and time-to-market) should drive module selection rather than simply following the most popular choice.
Methodology
This analysis is based on aggregated and anonymized data from the 1NCE Device Analyzer, part of the 1NCE Insights platform. The dataset encompasses more than 30,000 1NCE customers using over 6,270 unique device types from 940+ manufacturers, actively deployed across 100+ countries and 17 industries.
Modules are ranked by customer adoption, meaning the number of distinct business customers using each module, rather than by total device count. This approach gives equal weight to a startup deploying 10 devices and an enterprise deploying 100,000, providing a more balanced view of market preferences. Percentages reflect each module's share of the top-10 total for the given country.
Data reflects a snapshot from September 2026. Customer adoption patterns change as new modules enter the market, legacy technologies sunset, and businesses scale or pivot their IoT deployments.
Author: Arne Assmann, Chief Strategy Officer
