Infra-red communications market seen reaching $3.73 billion by 2030

The infra-red communications market is projected to grow from $1.92 billion in 2025 to $2.19 billion in 2026, with demand driven by consumer electronics, industrial automation and automotive production. The Business Research Company says the market could reach $3.73 billion by 2030 as IoT devices and secure short-range communication needs expand.

Why it matters: - Infra-red communications is gaining traction as a low-cost, short-range way to move data without radio frequency signals. - The technology is increasingly tied to consumer electronics, factory automation and vehicle manufacturing, which broadens its commercial reach. - The market’s projected growth suggests more demand for compact, secure and low-power connectivity in connected devices.

What happened: - The Business Research Company released its Infra-Red Communications Global Market Report 2026 on October 5, 2026. - The report says the global infra-red communications market is set to rise from $1.92 billion in 2025 to $2.19 billion in 2026. - The report forecasts the market will reach $3.73 billion by 2030. - North America held the largest market share in 2025. - Asia-Pacific is expected to post the fastest growth over the forecast period.

The details: - Historic growth is linked to early adoption of remote controls, demand for low-cost short-range communication, growth in consumer electronics, line-of-sight optical communication advances and industrial automation control systems. - The report points to IoT-enabled devices, secure short-range communication, smart home ecosystems, miniaturized infrared components and automotive sensing and control as major growth drivers through 2030. - Consumer electronics manufacturing is expanding as demand rises for smart, connected and energy-efficient devices. - In January 2024, the Consumer Technology Association said U.S. consumer technology retail revenue reached $512 billion, up from $505 billion in 2023. - Industrial automation is another key driver as factories look to cut labor costs and improve efficiency and production quality. - In September 2024, the International Federation of Robotics said the global operational stock of industrial robots topped 4.28 million units, up 10% year over year, with annual installations above 500,000 for a third straight year. - Automotive production is also supporting demand as manufacturers seek faster wireless data transfer and less wiring complexity. - In March 2024, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association said global car production reached about 76 million units in 2023, up 10.2% from the prior year. - The report’s near-term trend list includes low-power infrared communication modules, smart remote controls with gesture recognition, IR-based IoT device pairing, secure short-range device authentication via infrared and miniaturized infrared sensors in consumer electronics. - The market coverage spans Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East and Africa. - The report also includes market attractiveness scoring, TAM analysis, company scoring matrix graphics and tables, Excel-based forecasting dashboards, market hotspot infographics, and updated graphics and tables. - More information is available in the full report and a free sample.

Between the lines: - The report frames infra-red communications as a supporting technology rather than a headline consumer product, but one that becomes more valuable as devices get smaller and more connected. - The strongest demand signals come from sectors that need short-range, interference-resistant and relatively inexpensive wireless control. - The regional split suggests mature adoption in North America and more room for expansion in Asia-Pacific as manufacturing and connected-device ecosystems scale.

What's next: - The Business Research Company expects growth to continue through 2030 as IoT adoption, smart home buildout and automotive sensing use cases expand. - Market gains will likely depend on how quickly manufacturers adopt low-power infrared modules and secure device-authentication features. - Continued industrial automation and vehicle output recovery should add more use cases for infra-red communications hardware. - Contact details for the report included Saumya Sahay at marketing@tbrc.info and The Business Research Company at www.thebusinessresearchcompany.com.