Asset, energy management to drive M2M revenues

Machine-to-machine technology represents one of a small number of bright spots in the global economic slowdown.
According to a new study from market research and consulting company Harbor Research, M2M device shipments are expected to reach 430 million units by 2013 from 73 million units in 2008, and revenues for the sector should exceed $12 billion during that period of time.
Harbor said growth will be driven by Wireless PAN and Wireless Sensor Networks technologies.
The firm said revenue opportunities will like shift way from enablement services and device manufacturing to smart services instead. Harbor said it sees particularly strong demand for asset and energy management in the next few years.
“We’re currently on the cusp of a transformation in the marketplace,” said Gen Allmendinger, president of Harbor Research. “The market for connected products and managed services will increasingly be driven by customer interaction to foster innovation. Over the next five years, we’re going to see that the true value held in connected devices will shift towards value-added services where there’s unheralded potential for revenue generation.”