The global market for wireless communications for automation applications will expand by an average of 28.1% a year over the coming five years, a new study predicts. The report, from the market analyst IMS Research, suggests that most of this growth will occur in applications such as monitoring, data collection and programming.

"Although high growth is forecast, progress will be restricted by concerns over the reliability and security of wireless communications," says senior IMS market research analyst, John Morse. "There will have to be a considerable period of confidence-building before wireless is commonly used for applications where there are safety issues."

Demand for wireless systems is predicted to grow faster in the Asia-Pacific region than in Europe or the Americas.