An upgrade of hazard warning equipment in Spain bolstered Telefonica Tech’s overall IoT connection numbers in the opening 11 months of the year, fuelling a 240 per cent increase in the devices in play since the close of 2024.

The pending mandatory introduction of V16 GPS-enabled beacons proved one the main catalysts for growth in Telefonica Tech’s connected device numbers, which stood at 17 million at end-November.

It stated the figure is market leading in Spain.

Telefonica Tech highlighted a bumper Q3 contributed to the growth, with 3 million SIMs connected for a total of 12.3 million lines. It explained it is at the forefront of the digital transformation of road safety, as Spain does away with traditional hazard warning triangles in place of the connected beacons from the beginning of 2026.

The operator stated it is responsible for connecting more than 70 per cent of V16 beacons certified by Spain’s road traffic authority.

Other elements fuelling the rise in IoT devices connected by Telefonica Tech include demand from healthcare, industry and utilities.

It highlighted smart water meters and predictive maintenance functions in the aquatic sector, along with real-time monitoring tasks in the gas industry as drivers.

In social healthcare, it is deploying sensors in the homes of elderly or vulnerable people to alert carers of any problems.

Telefonica Tech also pointed to its provision of IoT services in the industrial sector which pave the way for robotics, digital twins, dedicated communications and computer vision.