Press Release

Study by Integral: Austrian SMBs are mobile

- In three out of four companies every employee has a mobile phone
- More than 80 percent of companies use mobile phone as well as expensive fixed line systems
- About 50 percent of companies can imagine unsubscribing their fixed line systems

Austrian small and medium-sized businesses are becoming more and more mobile. Over the past few years mobile phones have actually prevailed in all companies. Virtually all companies with up to 150 employees are using mobile phones. These are the findings of the current survey carried out by the market research institute Integral among 300 Austrian companies with up to 150 employees. In three quarters of the companies surveyed even all employees do have company mobile phones. Only in one tenth of Austrian companies, company phones are reserved for executives and field staff. These figures which underscore overall mobile phones trends on the Austrian market, where according to the Rundfunk und Telekom Regulierungs GmbH (Broadcasting and telecommunications regulation institute) 44 percent of private homes have already unsubscribed their landline (RTR Q3, 2010). “Nonetheless eight in ten companies additionally afford a costly fixed line system“, comments Orange CEO Michael Krammer the findings of this study. “Companies in Austria consequently pay double for communication at the moment“. According to the study the main reasons for this are respectability and the popularity of the landline number in public.

According to this study, the bigger the company is the more use is made of the fixed line.
In every third company meanwhile employees redirect their office phone often or at least occasionally to their mobile phone. Among companies with more than 50 companies redirecting the landline to the mobile phone is common practice in as many as 75 percent.

According to Integral companies are still using their fixed line systems for voice telephony as was indicated by 85 percent of the companies surveyed.

68 percent stated that their fixed line number is very popular and that this is the main reason for keeping their fixed line system. In addition, more than 50 percent of all companies (57 percent) believe that a fixed line number conveys a feeling of respectability. For 64 percent a landine is still a question of professionalism.

The question whether entrepreneurs can imagine dispensing with the fixed line provided a proper alternative solution is available which covers all requirements regarding both internal and external communication, was answered with either yes or maybe by more than 50 percent.

For this representative survey, which took place from 12 to 21 January 2011, Integral carried out telephone interviews with 300 decision makers in the telecommunications industry on behalf of Orange, thereof 150 decision makers of companies with between 1 and 49 employees and another 150 companies with 50 to 150 employees.