Berg Insight says one in two cars and one in three notebook PCs shipped in 2011 will have cellular communication capabilities. This will create a massive market for wireless M2M communication and mobile broadband data devices, exceeding 100m units per annum.

For this year, Berg is estimating worldwide shipments in these categories of 23m units.

“We currently see two strong trends driving demand for wireless M2M and mobile broadband” said Tobias Ryberg of Berg Insight. “Firstly, more and more automobile manufacturers are following GM OnStar, incorporating telematics units as standard equipment in their vehicles". OnStar is a GM subsidiary that supplies factory-installed GPS technology.

“Secondly, the integration of HSPDA in notebook PCs is gaining momentum as mobile operators launch high speed HSPDA networks."

He also mentioned utility meters, security alarms and POS terminals as product categories in which adoption of wireless M2M communication technology is growing rapidly.

The report from Berg Insight identifies several catalysts for the adoption of cellular communication in a wider range of machines and devices other than handsets. These include low cost 2.5G and 3G chipsets with integrated GPS capabilities and flat rate Internet access tariffs from mobile operators. Regulatory initiatives such as the eCall automatic emergency call system in Europe and new utility metering legislation in several countries are also highly important.