Over 240 million business users will be accessing cloud computing services via mobile devices by 2015, according to mobile telecommunications market watcher ABI Research.

ABI predicts that mobile cloud computing will drive revenues of $5.2 billion within the next five years, and that take-up of the technology in the long term will be on pay-per-use terms, allowing enterprises to keep a close eye on exactly how much is spent on cloud services.

“The longer-term opportunity is in mobile devices accessing IT services from the cloud and [paid for] on a per-use basis,” said Dan Shey, practice director at ABI Research. “With the economics of cloud services expanding IT services’ access to the SMB market, and more cellular connective devices in the market for business customers, enterprise mobile cloud computing services will experience tremendous growth.”

Smartphones and wireless-enabled laptops are currently the main drivers pushing mobile cloud computing adoption in business, but ABI predicts that the proliferation of 4G-enabled netbooks and smartbooks will help encourage future take-up.