Mobile services revenues from mobile business users worldwide will grow to $340 billion by 2017, according to an update to ABI Research's "Enterprise Mobility" market data. The data includes voice, messaging, handset data plans, mobile broadband and enterprise apps, and management services revenues.
"The underlying driver of this growth is simply BYOD (bring your own device) and specifically the adoption of smartphones," said Dan Shey, enterprise practice director at ABI Research.
Shey said that without a strategy to serve the employee audience with apps and services that address their business and personal needs, suppliers will miss out on this important segment that represents 30% of revenues in the mobile services market - and which is expected to grow twice as fast as the consumer segment.
Gartner describes the rise of BYOD programs as the single most radical shift in the economics of client computing for business since PCs invaded the workplace. Thus, every business needs a clearly articulated position on BYOD, even if it chooses not to allow for it.
For most organizations, the program is currently limited to smartphones and tablets, but the strategy may also be used for PCs and may include subsidies for equipment or service fees.
Gartner VP David Willis suggests that an organization may better keep up with mobile technology advancements by aligning to the consumer, rather than the much slower pace of business technology adoption, with its long cycle of detailed requirements analysis, established refresh rates and centralized procurement heritage.