As enterprise IoT deployments expand beyond national borders, organisations are finding that managing connectivity at scale has become a bigger challenge than obtaining network coverage, according to new research from Pelion and ABI Research. For years, enterprise IoT projects have largely been designed around domestic connectivity. Devices were deployed within a single country, connected through one or two operators, and managed under relatively straightforward regulatory frameworks. That model is beginning to change. A global survey commissioned by IoT connectivity provider Pelion suggests enterprises are increasingly deploying connected assets internationally, forcing them to rethink how they manage connectivity, security and operations across multiple countries and mobile networks. The study, based on responses from 676 IoT decision-makers, forecasts that internationally connected devices will account for 49% of enterprise IoT fleets by 2030, up from 29% today. Rather than simply adding more connected devices, organisations appear to be extending deployments across wider geographical footprints as supply chains, logistics networks and industrial operations become increasingly global. Scaling internationally introduces new operational challenges The report suggests that the industry’s priorities are evolving. While network availability has traditionally dominated discussions around IoT connectivity, respondents now point to operational complexity as the more pressing issue. Nearly two-thirds of organisations surveyed identified managing deployments outside their primary coverage area as their biggest scaling challenge, significantly more than those citing network coverage limitations. The findings also indicate that many enterprises continue to struggle with internal expertise. Six out of ten respondents said a shortage of IoT knowledge remains the single biggest obstacle preventing successful deployments, ahead of both budget constraints and connectivity itself. Together, these results suggest that the next phase of enterprise IoT growth will depend less on expanding network infrastructure and more on simplifying the management of increasingly complex global deployments. eSIM moves closer to mainstream IoT