Expanding 3G mobile communications coverage is enabling businesses everywhere to adopt M2M technologies powering new strategy developments in productivity and service delivery. The scale of opportunity, including for Australia businesses is reminiscient of the potential that fuelled the dot com boom of the 1990s. The M2M device, software, network, and service market is expected to grow rapidly world wide. Some estimates suggest the 2010 world market may exceed $300B in annual revenue on a compound growth rate trajectory of as much as 35% per annum. Where as there are some 500 million computers in the world and 1.5 billion cell phones & PDAs, it is estimated there are more than 38 billion other electronic devices that have information potentially relevant to improving an enterprises operation. As new devices emerge as M2M potential becomes more apparent. The M2M market strives to connect these devices to corporations, governments and institutions.

The connection and sharing data facilitates a multitude of business improvements, including; Automatic meter reading (from power to car parking) Refilling vending machines to maintain optimal inventory vs cost status Livestock health monitoring Soil conditioning (by farm, paddock, row or plant) Pollution monitoring and prevention Military Asset tracking, including personnel for more examples go to TMG M2M

Management consultants, TMG caution that such spectacular growth, as happened in the dot com boom, tempts managers to adopt strategies that lack the fundamental imperatives of being able sustaina competitive advantage large and long enough to produce superior value returns. Having spent more than 21 years in management consulting, including to the market leaders in ICT, Director of Consulting Peter Boyce said today, "We are actively encouraging our clients to do the front end work to establish the underpinnings that were too often missing in the stampede of the 1990s". TMG were instrumental in the establishment of Optus World and advised Compaq on addressing the entry of Dell into the personal computers. "The value creating potential in M2M is so great that to ignore the sector risks a business being at a disadvantage" commented Boyce. "But the reverse is not true – simply entering the sector does not ensure value will be created. To drive superior returns requires the same strategy development work required for any industry at any time" advises Boyce.

For more information about how M2M is developing, go to TMG M2M