Machine-to-machine to get $270bn boost

RFID and initatives such as BT's Bluephone will see the machine-to-machine communications market grow over 1,000 per cent before the end of the decade.

According to research from analyst house Alexander Resources, revenues from the M2M market will grow from 2004's total of $24bn to $270bn by the end of the decade.

The M2M boom will be led by the retail, utilities, security and consumer healthcare sectors, according to the research, as well as deployments of RFID in the supply chain.

The growth of RFID for product tracking could well fuel the transformation of mobile phones into M2M devices, the report predicts, as businesses start doubling their handsets as RFID or NFC readers.

However, mobile phone operators have been slow to crack onto the opportunity, Alexander Resources said - opening the door for niche players and MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) and specialised MVNEs (mobile virtual network enablers).