Demand for line-of-business applications on mobile handsets is expected to surge over the next five years as firms wake up to the productivity gains of making company-specific data available to mobile workers.

A recent study by ABI Research predicts that application revenues in this service category will grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 100 per cent over the next five years.

"Two forces are driving the development and availability of mobile line-of-business applications for the handset," said principal ABI Research analyst Dan Shey.

"Database vendors are supporting mobility strategies internally and through the development of value-added reseller communities, and businesses are requesting access and collection of company-relevant data on the mobile device.

"But these forces of supply and demand are only possible because of greatly improved handset capabilities and wireless broadband access."

ABI Research noted that field employees who need access to company-specific information and/or collect company-specific information as part of their jobs are best served by these applications.

The report identifies employees in sales, repair & maintenance, transportation, healthcare and protective service occupations as the most likely beneficiaries.

And because these services are offered on a subscription basis and can be hosted, large and small companies can benefit from these applications.

ABI Research believes that line-of-business applications will also drive the need for additional services.

"Mobile data plan revenues will grow at a 29 per cent CAGR over the next five years due in large part to mobile line-of-business application growth," said Shey.

"More companies will see the benefits of mobile device management services as a cost-effective way to support line-of-business and other applications being used by their mobile workforce."