Monday, July 10, 2006

Strong Interest by US Businesses in 3G Service; Mid-Sized Companies Have Greatest Reliance on Wireless

In-Stat: Nearly 5% of employees in US companies report that they have already adopted 3G services and an additional 15% to 20% would be likely to do so In addition, a recent survey of over 1,000 business users revealed that mid-sized companies – those with 100 to 1000 employees – have the greatest penetration of wireless among their workforces and spend the most on mobile communication. Overall, business users continue to prove themselves to be lucrative customers for mobile carriers, with reported monthly spending of nearly $90 per user, which is approximately double that of the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) reported by carriers. Spending by mid-sized companies on mobile data services – both cellular and Wi-Fi – is at least 15% higher than companies of other sizes.

  • Nearly 30% of employees surveyed indicated they would like to use a mobile email device. Current usage is under 15% among respondents.

  • Among Wi-Fi users who pay for access, mean monthly spending for all business sizes is roughly $40 per month.

  • About 10% of respondents who have monthly subscriptions to Wi-Fi also use pay-per-usage hotspots, causing unforeseen telecommunication expenses for their companies.

  • Many businesses and employees place a high premium on Internet access, with a large number spending as much or more for Wi-Fi as they spend on monthly cellular bills.

Business Demand for Wireless Voice and Data Services in the US

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