The number of people in Europe and North America that will use mobile telcare systems, also known as personal emergency response systems (PERS), will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 40 percent from 450,000 in 2015 to almost 3.4 million by 2021, according to a report from Berg Insight.

Berg defines a mobile telecare system as one that uses a portable device with cellular connectivity and GPS to support the needs of seniors with active lifestyles. The analyst firm also estimates that at the end of 2015, there were about 5 million telecare systems in Europe and about 2.2 million systems in North America.

“Many insurance and social care programs now aim to reduce healthcare costs by providing care at home by using technologies like telecare and telehealth systems,” Berg Insight Senior Analyst Andre Malm said in a statement. “Telecare service providers and carers are showing increasing interest in mobile telecare solutions that are better suited for some users than traditional systems that only work indoors.”

In December 2015, Berg Insight released another report that found 4.9 million patients were remotely monitored in 2015, up 51 percent from the previous year. The firm predicted that number would continue to grow at a CAGR of 48.9 percent, leading to 36.1 million remotely monitored patients in 2020.

Remote patient monitoring revenues hit $6.7 billion (6.2 billion euros) in 2015, Berg said at the time, which included revenues from connectivity solutions and care deliver platforms as well as the monitoring devices themselves. The firm said it expected revenues to grow at a CAGR of 32.1 percent to hit $27 billion (25 billion euros) in 2020.