The majority of British businesses are failing to adopt 4G technology, according to research.
The YouGov survey for Vodafone UK revealed that 64 percent of businesses do not have 4G. In addition, 41 percent have no current plans to adopt it.
43 percent of businesses admitted that they had a poor understanding of 4G’s capabilities. Among companies that do not have 4G, a third claimed that they do not perceive any benefits for their business.
The survey results claimed businesses which had upgraded to 4G understood the benefits with 51 percent claiming it increased the speed of data transfer and 43 percent that it allowed for faster responsiveness to customers. Better remote working and the ability to use all business applications remotely were cited by 42 percent and 48 percent respectively.
Despite not having adopted the technology, 41 percent of companies without 4G said that downloading, transferring and accessing data-heavy content was important to their businesses. 95 percent and 97 percent said speed and capacity were key factors when doing so.
SMEs were revealed to be falling furthest behind. Only 24 percent had 4G compared to 39 percent of larger businesses. 24 percent recognized that 4G provided faster responsiveness to customers and 35 percent claimed that this was one of their top business priorities. In addition, 67 percent viewed mobile connectivity as important.
Phil Mottram, UK Enterprise Director of Vodafone UK says: "Businesses need to be ready to take advantage of the tools and technologies that can give them the competitive edge today and in the future. Now is the time for those businesses which are yet to invest in 4G to do so and to start benefiting from its full potential."
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Mottram added: "To help decision makers see the viable business case in upgrading to 4G, Vodafone is committed to helping businesses understand how 4G can benefit them based on their business functions, needs and priorities using the greater speed and capacity that 4G can provide."
Phil Mottram continues: "Whilst the perception of cost is still stopping businesses from taking the step towards 4G, the significant knowledge gap of what it can offer UK businesses is a challenge.
"With customers’ expectations on service delivery and responsiveness at an all-time high, we have committed ourselves to making 4G more accessible and affordable, with competitive pricing and continuous network investment, enabling businesses to meet their customers’ demands, whenever and wherever staff may be.
"This has been the driving force behind the extension of our 4G coverage to over 500 cities and towns across the UK and the £1 billion we’ve invested in our network and services in the UK this year."
Mottram concludes: "Despite the growing availability and affordability of 4G devices and services, the lack of a true understanding of the benefits that the technology can bring, as revealed by this survey, is undeniably holding enterprises back from reaping the rewards of introducing 4G to their business. This barrier is also preventing businesses from gaining an advantage over their competitors here and abroad in the increasingly competitive global marketplace."
The research polled 1200 senior decision-makers from British businesses and the public sector.
