Small Businesses Go Wireless

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the US are spending nearly half their total telecoms budget (45%) on wireless voice and data services, according to Boston-based comms & networking consultants the Yankee Group.

The 2004 Wireless SMB Survey says that SMB mobility increased in the past year and 'significantly exceeds the mobility of larger enterprises'. There are nearly 5 million SMBs - defined as firms with between 2 and 499 employees - in the US according to the 2000 Economic Census.

The survey looks at evaluation and decision-making processes, paying particular attention to SMBs' current and future requirements and planned spending. Category leading wireless carriers for the different sizes of business are Verizon Wireless for enterprise wireless services; AT&T Wireless for companies with 250-to-499 employees; Nextel for the 100-to-249 employee category; and Sprint PCS for those with 50-to-99 employees.

'Wireless solution providers and wireless operators cannot ignore the SMB market', according to Eugene Signorini, Yankee Group Wireless/Mobile Enterprise & Commerce program manager. 'Although reaching the fragmented SMB marketplace carries challenges, the sheer number of mobile workers in this segment represents high revenue potential', says Signorini, adding that despite similarities with the wireless needs of larger businesses, 'there are also many nuances that must be recognized'.

The Yankee Group's web site is at www.yankeegroup.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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