Juniper Research: There will be 722 million mobile business connections by 2014

Wider availability of hi-speed mobile networks, proliferation of smartphones, and broadening ranges of mobile connectivity solutions will foster growth of “unwired enterprises”, according to a new report from Juniper Research. The research company argues that approximately 80% of business mobile devices will be operating via 3.5/3.9G networks by 2014, representing 722 million businesses worldwide — an increase of almost 60% over the forecast period.

Handsets will dominate this market, accounting for upwards of 70% of business devices in the latter part of the period. However, businesses will also take advantage of embedded and plug-in modems to increase the effectiveness of employees in the field.

Other findings from the report include:

• Usage of wireless dongles is losing ground to usage of devices with embedded wireless modems and will peak in 2010/2011;
• The number of enterprise portable computers with embedded wireless connectivity will grow by more than 300% between 2008 and 2014;
• Annual portable computer shipment volumes will exceed 300 million by 2014, accounting for over three quarters of all computer shipments that year;
• Revenues generated by mobile enterprise service usage worldwide will grow to $247 billion by 2014.

More information about the report titled “Future Mobile Enterprise: Forecasts, Markets & Devices 2009-2014″ is available from Juniper’s website.