(IDG) -- Email usage is on the rise. According to IDC, the number of worldwide email mailboxes is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 138 percent, from 505 million in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2005. The global market intelligence and advisory firm holds three factors responsible for this increase: Web services, wireless access, and workers without email.
Despite a shakeout among free Web email providers, IDC believes the remaining leaders will see significant growth in mailboxes tied to Web sites. "Wireless access through email devices and network services will offer new ways for email users to remain connected longer while on the move," said Mark Levitt, research director for IDC"s Collaborative Computing program. "Workers such as deskless and mobile workers whose access to email has not come easy will benefit from customized email software, devices, and hosted services."
According to IDC, the number of person-to-person emails sent on an average day is expected to exceed 36 billion worldwide in 2005. The growing effect of the Web on email is evident in widening usage of Web browsers as the primary method for accessing email - expected to surpass 50 percent for all email mailboxes worldwide in 2003.