52 million machines will be connected to European mobile networks by 2011

The new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, predicts that the number of machines connected to mobile networks in Europe will grow by 43.7% annually to reach 52 millions by 2011. At the end of the last year there were about 8.5 million active cellular and satellite wireless M2M connections in the EU and Western Europe. Energy meters currently constitute the largest vertical market segment in terms of deployed units, followed by motor vehicles, security alarms and POS-terminals. With the advancements of auto industry, by 2011, motor vehicles are forecasted to have become the largest segment, accounting for more than 60% of the total installed base.

“Remote meter reading is the fastest growing application area in Northern Europe, whereas demand for vehicle telematics is particularly strong in the UK and Italy”, said Tobias Ryberg, senior analyst, Berg Insight. “In the coming years we expect that the European automobile manufacturers will accelerate the market growth rate by introducing GSM/GPS emergency call devices as a standard safety feature.”