NEWS
Local government expenditure on mobile and wireless will rise to more than 40 times the current level by the end of the decade, analysts predict.
According to a new study by Juniper Research, local government spending on wireless technologies will jump from 2005's total of $205m to $8.6bn by 2010.
The lion's share of wireless costs will be mopped up by end-user hardware, such as laptops and mobiles. The mobile hardware sector is expected to generate revenues of $3.4bn from local government by 2010.
Around 10 million such devices will be bought per year by the end of the decade, the study showed.
Systems software will cost local governments $1.3bn in 2010, Juniper Research said, while systems hardware will hit budgets almost as much, costing $1.1bn.
