As general consumers gobble up smartphones like theyre candy, look for businesses particularly small offices/home offices (SOHO) to increase their rate of smartphone purchases in the next four years.

Researcher In-Stat predicts SOHO smartphone buys will go up by 44 percent between 2010 and 2015.

The SOHO market includes all firms with one to four U.S. employees, and these businesses are realizing the benefits of having data access in their wireless handsets,” said Greg Potter, In-Stat analyst. Employees can now work efficiently either on the road or at home, with access to email and other business applications from their smartphones. This creates a more connected and engaged workforce.”

In its report, Wireless Handsets in US Businesses: Unit Purchases by Size of Business and Vertical, 20102015,” In-Stat also predicts purchases of other cell phones (non-smartphones) will decline by 32 percent over the next four years; 27 million smartphones will be sold to U.S. businesses in 2015, with enterprises buying 19 million; and the healthcare and social services vertical will grow from 3.9 million phones purchased to 4.5 million.