Nearly half of the Internet users in the UK (49%) said they want Internet access, provided by businesses, in public places, according to a Plusnet Business survey.
The survey found that a quarter (24%) of respondents says that they need Internet access to be able to update people should anything happen.
Over 40% of respondents in the North West, Northern Ireland, Scotland, London and Wales say that having access to Wi-Fi is a deal-breaker when deciding in a hotel.
Almost a fifth of the respondents said that they will purposely choose a restaurant (17%), bar (17%), pub (17%), and shopping centre (18%) with a decent wireless internet connection, over one without it.
Nearly a third of respondents (29%) say that they have to be constantly connected and cannot even queue or take a short journey without entertaining themselves online.
Well over a third (46%) of respondents in London admitted that they needed to be connected to the Internet all the time, to stop the boredom of having to queue, the survey found.
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Plusnet head of Business Nick Silverwood said with increased competition in the hospitality and retail markets, it’s important for small businesses to understand how investing in customer broadband has the potential to really boost sales.
"With over one in ten (12%) respondents estimating that 21%-30% of their profit is down to a fast and reliable Internet connection, there is a clear benefit to getting online," Silverwood said.
