Middleware to boom for next five years

FRAMINGHAM: The worldwide market for software that enables companies to send

out key information from their computer systems to wireless devices their

workers carry, will grow at 61 per cent a year, research firm International Data

Corp. forecast on Monday.

The market for the software known as mobile middleware will blossom from $137

million in 2000 to $1.5 billion by 2005, according to the IDC study. "This

enables a company to really leverage the mobile workforce," said, senior

analyst at IDC Stephen Drake. "It's one of the largest growing parts within

the enterprise," he said.

Wireless middleware allows a worker in the field to access a company's

accounting, financial, human resource, manufacturing, customer relationship,

sales databases and other vital information running on servers and mainframe

computers via a wireless device such as a Web-enabled telephone, or a personal

digital assistant such as a Palm.

Drake said he expects large players in the traditional middleware area,

International Business Machines Corp. and BEA Systems Inc. to partner with some

of the 30 or so smaller companies that specialize in wireless middleware.

"We're still seeing strong amount of venture capital coming into this

area," he said.

Among the companies participating in providing wireless middleware are Aether

Systems Inc. and privately held Broadbeam Corp. Brience, which has received $200

million in funding and Wireless Knowledge, a joint venture between Qualcomm Inc.

and Microsoft Corp.

By 2004, the number of mobile professionals is expected to reach 27 million

while the number of workers out in the field collecting information is expected

to reach 18 million.

(C) Reuters Limited 2001.