186 million machines using mobile networks by 2012

A new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight says the number of mobile network connections used for machine-to-machine communication will grow from last year's total of 37.5 million to 186 million connections in 2012; a growth rate of around 38% per year. In general, between 1–3% of mobile subscribers in developed markets are actually non-human users, although this is closer to 10% in Sweden and Finland where the mobile network is used instead of human 'meter readers'. However, Berg Insight reckons that vehicle connections will cause most growth in the future. [Press release]