Businesses are losing billions of pounds each year by refusing to look into more cost-effective ways of hooking their travelling employees up to the internet.
This is according to a new report from US mobile services provider iPass, cited by information-age.com, which claims that solutions like Wi-Fi can cut the £4.8 billion businesses spend on keeping their corporate travellers connected to the internet by 50 per cent.
In 2012, the average business traveller is said to have spent £73.91 on ‘essential connectivity’ when travelling within Europe, with this rising to £128.73 in the US and £138.56 in Asia.
It’s thought that travellers will foolishly use 3G/4G 40 per cent of the time whilst browsing in the EU – a choice which could be costing their company a small fortune in roaming charges.
Typical daily mobile browsing usage per traveller is between a staggering 2,720 MB and 5,754 MB, which would see most delegates exceeding their data allowance by quite some margin.
The report claimed that if businesses managed their connectivity services more efficiently, the savings could be vast.
Speaking to travelweekly.co.uk, EMEA vice president Rene Hendrikse said that a global network of wireless hotspots could be the answer to the problem at hand.
“Access to connectivity is undeniably vital for productivity; in this environment it’s more critical than ever for businesses to look for ways to make the mobile working experience more productive for staff, and more cost effective,” he commented.
“Providing access to a global network of wireless hotspots is one key way to help.”
