Web access via cell phone to skyrocket this year

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April 18, 2000
Web posted at: 9:42 a.m. EDT (1342 GMT)

by Maria Trombly

(IDG) -- The number of people using cell phones for wireless data will skyrocket from 3% of the U.S. online population to 78% over the next 12 months, a new survey says.

The main reason for the increase is that employers are starting to pay for these services, according to a survey released today by New York-based Cap Gemini America and Corechange Inc., a wireless portal provider based in Boston.

Currently, 33% of the U.S. online population uses cell phones for business purposes. Of that 33%, 11% or 3% of the total online population use them for data applications such as e-mail and news, the companies say. In 12 months, 78% of the U.S. online population will be using cell phones for data.

Of those who will begin using cell phones to access data in the coming year, 47% said they will do so because someone else mainly, their employer will begin paying for it, according to this survey of 1,000 U.S. Internet users, which was conducted by Greenfield Online Inc. on behalf of Cap Gemini. This was the most important reason for adoption of the new technology, said David Ridemar, head of Cap Gemini America's E-Business Unit.

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"The big enabler of the growth will be the big corporations," he said.

Of those who will start accessing data with their cell phones in the 12 months, 52% said they will use the functionality for a mix of e-mail, personal data and business information, 24% will use it for e-mail and personal data and 13% will use it for e-mail only.

Hence, the corporate wireless data structures have to allow for both personal and business needs, Ridemar said. He warned that this will put bandwidth pressures on telecommunication companies.

"Look at how many employees a typical Fortune 500 company has, especially the white collar workers," he said. "Giving them the capability to do work with the cell phone, you can easily see the big increase in traffic over the wireless nets."

The survey results prove that the U.S. is hard on the heels of other parts of the world, such as Europe, where wireless use is much more widespread, said Felimy Green, Corechange's executive vice president.

"The wireless trend is Europe is strongly indicative of what's going to happen in the U.S.," he said. "We expect significant usage of wireless Internet connectivity in the next two years."

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Cap Gemini America
Corechange Inc.
Greenfield Online

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