WIRELESS BROADBAND WEEK SHOWS SMES AND EBUSINESS CLUB MEMBERS A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE WITH MOBILE WORKING

The British Chambers of Commerce delivers e-business advice via the existing Chambers of Commerce network, fostering and developing e-business by working to identify and spread best practice.

Wireless Broadband Week kicked-off this week with a series of announcements showing how companies can work smarter and faster by going wireless with BT. The ability to work in a cable-free environment presents small businesses in particular with many benefits from home working to hot-desking; allowing them to be more productive and do more with their working days.

British Chambers of Commerce Director General, David Frost, said, ”A recent BCC survey showed that only one per cent. of companies currently use Wireless networks. Businesses that use technology effectively can increase productivity and reduce cost. Getting wireless broadband is an important step in that direction. The figures speak for themselves: 60 per cent. of all companies see more effective communication as the biggest benefit of having a broadband connection; 46 per cent. think productivity is the next most important benefit; and 45 per cent. of all companies cited cost savings as a benefit of a broadband connection.”

Through the eBusiness Clubs, developed by the BCC, the DTI, BT, Hewlett-Packard and O2 small-to-medium enterprises are provided with the essential information and help they need to blend technology into their working practices and wider businesses.

Steve Andrews, managing director, Products and Enterprises, BT Retail said: “Wi-fi has gone from strength to strength in 2003 and the launch of Wireless Broadband Week will help expose an even greater number of people to the benefits of wireless whether they are emailing friends, surfing the web or accessing corporate files away from the office.”

Mr. Andrews continued, “This marks the first national push of wi-fi and I would really urge everyone to get behind Wireless Broadband Week and take advantage of wireless services free of charge for the entire week.”


The take-up rate of broadband Internet has doubled from 19 per cent. to 39 per cent. over the last year. One third of those without broadband plan to acquire a connection as soon as it is available, and one in six companies plan to acquire broadband within a year. An important driver encouraging broadband adoption is pressure from customers and suppliers to use broadband-enabled applications. Over 60 per cent. of all companies think customers will pressure them within the next five years to conduct business that requires a broadband connection. Nearly half of all companies, (48 per cent.) predict suppliers will exert similar pressure.

– Ends –

For further information please contact:

Media Enquiries:

Marija Popovic
Business Development Manager
The British Chambers of Commerce
024 7669 4484 m.popovic@britishchambers.org.uk
www.chamberonline.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

1. Case studies
Case studies can be provided upon request.

2. The BCC Broadband Survey found that as a percentage of total respondents, (including broadband and non-broadband users), the most common type of connection is ADSL (25.7 per cent.), followed by high speed leased line (5.1 per cent.) and cable (4.8 per cent.). Satellite and wireless broadband are used by 1.2 per cent. and 1.0 per cent. respectively

and only 0.4 per cent. of companies had 3G/2.5G mobile phone connections. A further 3.0 per cent. of businesses are not sure what type of broadband connection they use. Larger companies show a greater tendency to use high-speed leased lines than do smaller companies.

3. Where are eBusiness partnerships operating?

• Birmingham 
• East Lancashire
• East Midlands – Nottingham, Derby, Northampton, Leicester, Chesterfield, Lincolnshire 
• Essex – Chelmsford, Colchester, Brentwood, Ilford, Romford 
• Scotland – Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow 
• Thames Valley – Slough, Reading, Oxford 
• London 
• Manchester 
• Norfolk – Norwich, Kings Lynn 
• Surrey – Guildford, Woking, Kingston 
• Sheffield 
• Wales – Cardiff, Swansea, Newport, Bangor 
• West Yorkshire – Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Hull and Humber
  
  
  4. What do the eBusiness Clubs offer the partners?
• A channel to market – an opportunity to influence the small business market place. With 12,000 existing members as a result of the pilot phase, and over 7,000 of this year's 17,800 target already registered, eBusiness Clubs is the only programme of such magnitude in the UK.
• Access to third party influencers – partnering with the Accredited Chambers of Commerce, the DTI, the Business Link network and Regional Development Agencies, there is a unique opportunity to take advantage of local and regional relationships with principal business support service infrastructure across the UK.
• Continued partnership – by strengthening its engagement in this market, the partners further align with the work of UK online for business and the BCC through a holistic approach to the promotion of the eCommerce Awards.
  
  
  5. British Chambers of Commerce
  The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) represents, through a quality assured UK network of Accredited Chambers of Commerce, more than 135,000 businesses of all sizes in all sectors of the economy. Accredited Chambers seek to represent the interests and support the competitiveness and growth of all businesses in their communities and regions.
  
  
  6. Hewlett Packard
  HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, solutions and services to consumers and business. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services, and imaging and printing. Our local representatives for the eBusiness Clubs are members of the HP Centre of Excellence Reseller programme who are independent businesses serving their local community with information and communication technology products, solutions and services.
  
  
  7. BT Business
  BT Business is a dedicated business unit within BT Retail, part of the BT Group. It was created to serve the needs of smaller companies, from one-person start-ups to those employing around 500 people. BT Business aims to help its 1.1 million customers overcome barriers, which may prevent them from adopting the information and communication technology (ICT) they need. BT is Britain's number one business broadband supplier and the number one ISP for small businesses (1-250 employees).
  For further information about BT Business visit www.bt.com/business.
  
  
  8. O2
  O2 aims to enrich customer's lives by enabling them to get the most from their mobile. As a leading provider of mobile services to consumers and businesses in the UK, O2 offers a range of services including text, media messaging, games, always on data connections (via "GPRS") and much more. Other services under development include music over mobile and mobile video. O2 is the UK market leader in mobile data services such as text, with over half a billion messages being sent by O2 customers each month.
  O2 (UK) Limited is a subsidiary of mmO2 plc which also delivers O2 branded services in Ireland and Germany. O2 has approximately 12 million customers in the UK.