Friday, 31 October 2008

Number of Machines Connected to Mobile Networks in Europe Humongous

The number of machines connected to mobile networks in Europe will grow by 34.2 percent in 2008 and reach 14.1 million at the year-end, claims analyst firm Berg Insight.

According to their research report, the number of connections is forecasted to reach 58.6 million by 2013, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 32.9 percent. The firm further adds that much of the growth will come from motor vehicles whose share of the installed base is expected to double from about 30 percent in 2008 to 60 percent in 2013.

The report identifies major differences in the types of machines that are being connected to mobile networks in different European countries. There are also significant variations in the share of machine-to-machine SIM-cards, compared to the total number of SIM-cards. Sweden and Finland were found to have the highest rates of 13.4 percent and 7.7 percent respectively, several times higher than the average 2.2 percent.

“Scandinavia has a very high proportion of smart energy meters, Germany and Italy mainly have motor vehicles and in Spain the market is dominated by security alarms and POS-terminals. Other countries such as the UK have a more diversified market landscape,” said Tobias Ryberg, Senior Analyst, Berg Insight.