UMTS Forum Predicts A Billion Connected Devices By 2016

The numbers of connected gadgets in the hands of consumers today it is staggering and will only continue to grow. Even my technology challenged mom has a couple connected devices today. According to the UMTS Forum, the number of connected devices will skyrocket over the next five years, particularly in the consumer electronics market.

UMTS Forum has announced the results of a study that predicts by 2016 there will be a billion consumer electronics devices in the hands of consumers that connect to mobile broadband networks. The forum also predicts that over the next five years the market growth for CE devices with mobile wireless connectivity will outgrow the rest of the connected market significantly.

"The collision between mobile broadband networks and connected devices – from digital cameras to personal health monitors – will see by our own estimation as many as a billion additional connections by 2016," comments UMTS Forum Chairman Jean-Pierre Bienaimé. "As an industry association, our remit to guide and inform all players in the mobile value chain has now expanded to embrace consumer electronics."