Wireless technologies are becoming crucial for small businesses to stay competitive and connected while gaining flexibility and time away from the office, according to a new survey by AT&T.
Nearly 65% of small businesses surveyed say that they could not survive or it would be a major challenge to survive without wireless technology. The figure was 42% in a a similar 2007 AT&T survey.
The study found that small businesses appear to be cautiously responding to a turnaround in the economy, with 65% of businesses planning to spend more or about the same on technology overall, including wireless offering in 2010 as they did in 2009.
According to AT&T, the growing dependence on wireless technologies is likely to continue to increase going forward, as 74% of survey respondents say that they expect to depend on it even more two years from now.
In addition, more than three times as many small businesses today strongly agree that wireless technology is key to keeping them competitive, 49% compared to 16% in 2007.
Ebrahim Keshavarz, vice president of small business product management at AT&T, said: In the current economic environment, small businesses are stretched more than ever before, so they’re demanding wireless technology solutions from providers like AT&T who understand their needs.
