International. The value of the remote monitoring market reached $29 billion in 2011, according to a report published by IMS Research. This equates to $2.4 billion in monthly recurring revenue (RMR) during the year.
In addition, IMS Research revealed that during this period alarm monitoring, remote video monitoring, physical access control, fire detection control and PERS (Personal Emergency Response) services were provided to 54 million accounts.
The global market was led by the United States, a country that thanks to its strength in monitoring alarms for both residential and commercial areas, accounted for 45% of global revenues.
The study also stressed that the penetration of remote monitoring systems can vary significantly from country to country. For example, explains IMS Research analyst Niall Jenkins, in the United States the residential alarm monitoring market has reached penetration levels of 25%, while in Germany it is estimated that there are less than 200,000 installations.
"There are a number of social and economic reasons for these regional differences, the perception of crime, comparative wealth, the prices of services, all can influence the decision to remotely control a building. In less developed countries, the lower cost of human surveillance may also act to limit the popularization of remote services," Jenkins explains.
