SAN MATEO, Calif.-The market for wireless machine-to-machine communications is poised to experience a 27-percent compound annual growth rate, ballooning from $9.3 billion in 2004 to $31 billion in 2008, according to research from the Wireless Data Research Group.
Machine-to-machine communication systems allow for the remote monitoring and control of business processes and functions via wireless devices. According to WDR, such solutions can result in improved performance and efficiency in plant operations, maintenance and supply-chain management. WDR expects the Americas to be the strongest region for the market, worth $13 billion by 2008, and the network services segment is likely to lead growth and revenue, exceeding $10 billion by 2008.
“There are now a number of wireless technologies, from very short range technology like RFID all the way up to the global satellite systems, that are readily available to integrators and adopters as solution components that address the connectivity needs of specific industries and applications with respect to distance, throughput and network robustness,” explained Ian McPherson, president of WDR and the study’s author. “This means that companies can now do things like remotely manage their operations, track inventory or automate manufacturing processes with a much lower cost of acquisition.”
