Qualcomm topped the global cellular internet of things (IoT) chipset market with a 38 per cent share in terms of shipments in the fourth quarter of 2021, a new report has said.

Qualcomm grew its share both annually and sequentially with traction across key segments and has broadened its portfolio of IoT solutions, targeting specific verticals like retail, automotive, industrial IoT and smart cities, according to Counterpoint Research.

It has also launched an IoT services suite covering more than 30 verticals to enhance platform support for IoT-as-a-service (IoTaaS) applications and accelerator programmes (like smart cities).

"Qualcomm, UNISOC and ASR held the top three positions in the global cellular IoT chipset market in Q4 2021, accounting for nearly 75 per cent of the total shipments," said research analyst Anish Khajuria.

Overall, global cellular IoT chipset shipments grew 57 per cent (on-year) in Q4 2021.

China continued to dominate the cellular IoT chipset market by accounting for nearly 60 per cent of the shipments.

Samsung also launched a 5G chipset targeting automotive applications.

It may provide strong competition to Qualcomm and MediaTek if it can enter a strong partnership with automakers, the report mentioned.

"Smart meter, POS, router/CPE, industrial and automotive were the top five applications in terms of shipments in Q4 2021," said Vice President Research Neil Shah.

"We forecast that smart meters, industrial and router/CPE will grow the most in the future," he added.