Mobile carriers’ connections for devices other than phones, laptops and tablets will rise to 250 million this year as the global market for links to cars, smart watches and thermostats takes off.

That’s up from 195 million worldwide, or 2.8 percent of mobile connections, at the end of last year, the GSMA industry association said in a survey of wireless carriers.

“We are now living in a world where every device, machine or appliance can be wirelessly connected to the internet, providing a wealth of real-time information that can transform how people live and work. For mobile operators, connecting ‘machines’ to their networks is now a major focus area,” said Hyunmi Yang, chief strategy officer of the GSMA. “But it is not just about adding new types of connections: there is an opportunity for mobile operators to add value far beyond connectivity by developing M2M capabilities that reduce fragmentation and stimulate new services. For example, defining cross-vertical solutions in network APIs, device management, security and big data are areas where operators can help drive the M2M market forwards.”

About 40 percent of the world’s mobile operators offer machine-to-machine services or M2M, a market that’s been growing at about 38 percent a year since 2010, the GSMA said. Devices that depend on M2M include vending machines that alert suppliers when they need to be refilled and thermostats that monitor energy use. Carriers are betting that these will provide the next wave of growth as the increasingly saturated mobile-phone and laptop markets slow.

GSM refers to a global wireless network technology, or Global System for Mobile communications.

“Operators not only want to provide connectivity, but they are trying to take a larger slice of the overall revenue opportunity,” said Sylwia Kechiche, a GSMA analyst who worked on the report.

Carriers are accomplishing this by offering suites of services for connected devices, such as AT&T Inc.’s Digital Life home automation packages that let users control lights and monitor security cameras remotely.

The automotive industry is one of the fastest-growing parts of the market because of services such as in-car Internet access, real-time traffic monitoring, and pay-as-you-drive insurance, the London-based GSMA said.

Key findings in the GSMA report:

• Global M2M connections reached 195 million in 2013, growing at almost 40% per year (38% CAGR) between 2010 and 2013
• M2M connections now account for 2.8% of all global mobile connections, double the 1.4% share recorded in 2010
• 428 mobile operators offer M2M services across 187 countries; this is equivalent to 40% of the world’s mobile operators
• Asia is the largest regional M2M market accounting for 42% of global M2M connections, followed by Europe (28%), North America (18%), Latin America (8%), Africa (4%) and Oceania (1%)
• M2M connections growth has seen to be generally stronger in developing markets over the last three years — this is partly due to growth in China, the world’s largest mobile market, and now the single largest M2M market too
• North America had the highest proportion of M2M connections on a regional basis, where M2M accounts for almost one in ten mobile connections
• On a country basis, M2M accounted for almost a quarter of total connections in Sweden in 2013

The market for wireless, Internet-connected devices could create between $2.7 trillion and $6.2 trillion of economic value annually by 2025, according to the McKinsey Global Institute, a research arm for New York-based consulting firm McKinsey & Co. Inc.

Google’s $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest Labs, announced last month, gives the search giant access to Web- connected thermostats and smoke alarms and data on customers who track their energy use online.

“We are now living in a world where every device, machine or appliance can be wirelessly connected to the Internet, providing a wealth of real-time information,” Hyunmi Yang, the GSMA’s chief strategy officer, said in an e-mailed statement. “There is an opportunity for mobile operators to add value far beyond connectivity, by developing M2M capabilities that reduce fragmentation and stimulate new services.”

The full report can be read online.