International corporate IT industry spending on wireless applications will reach an average of $680,000 in 2002, a dramatic 94 percent rise over $360,000 in 2001, according to a new report by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) and the Wireless IT Research Group (WIRG) released at the 2002 World Congress on IT in Adelaide, Australia.
The Global Wireless IT Benchmark Report – 2002 says that 51 percent of firms report increasing their wireless budgets in 2002, while only 8 percent will decrease their budgets and 41 percent of wireless budgets will remain unchanged.
The survey also found that wireless email is the most commonly used wireless application, currently in use by 36 percent of all firms, with an additional 49 percent of all firms planning to provide it in the future. Next to wireless email, the most popular wireless application is wireless Internet/Intranet access with 81 percent of all firms currently using or planning to use it.
Security is the most common concern for companies seeking to implement wireless solutions, and more than half (53 percent) of companies say that they require 112 kilobytes per second or higher for their wireless applications.
“This groundbreaking research shows a tremendous desire to implement wireless solutions at the enterprise level,” said WITSA President Harris N. Miller today. “There is an opportunity globally for wireless device manufacturers to capture market share, because our study reveals that four in five IT companies say they are not committed to a particular wireless operating system. Our research shows that providers with strong security measures, extensive coverage areas and data speed will attract customers seeking to invest in wireless systems to improve their communications.”
A total of 336 companies completed the web-based survey of more than 40 questions. A majority (40 percent) of respondents classified themselves as systems integrators or IT consulting companies. Forty-seven percent of companies had operating bases in North America, 24 percent in Europe and 18 percent in Asia.
Copies of the report can be purchased on ITAA and WITSA web sites.
