Enterprise Workforce Says Push-to-Talk Is Leading Mobile Application For Improving Productivity
Corporate Decision-Makers Have Been Slow to Plan and Set Budgets for Implementation of Service

SAN FRANCISCO – June, 2003 – Business users view Push-To-Talk voice calling (PTT) as one of today’s mobile applications most likely to improve productivity, with nearly one in four indicating it will enhance on-the-job efficiency, according to a new study by Telephia, Inc.

Corporate decision-makers, however, have been slow to plan for PTT, as few managers (seven percent of those sampled by Telephia) are currently launching or preparing to implement the service as part of their mobile solution in the next 18 months. More companies in high-tech/telecom (16 percent) and transportation/utilities/construction (11 percent) are considering PTT deployment than in the healthcare (4 percent), financial/professional services (6 percent) or manufacturing (8 percent) industries.

These are among the key findings from the Q2 2003 Telephia Enterprise Insights report, an assessment of mobile services and devices within the enterprise environment that captures the corporate decision-making and buying process as well as end user preferences and satisfaction with current efforts. The study was performed by Telephia, the leading provider of marketing and service quality intelligence in the mobile industry.

Besides PTT, other applications that exhibit a disparity between end-user interest and management planning include instant messaging (24 percent of surveyed end users think it will enhance productivity, while only 11 percent of surveyed decision-makers are planning to launch) and video conferencing/streaming (23 percent vs. 7 percent).

Mobile Applications Which Can Improve Productivity,
According to Corporate Decision-Makers and Business End Users

Those differences notwithstanding, decision-makers and end users alike expressed interest in multiple applications, including corporate e-mail with attachments, access to the mobile Internet, and personal information management. Furthermore, decision-makers at corporations with more than 5,000 employees are much more likely to be considering corporate intranet access (24 percent of respondents) than small businesses (10 percent) with fewer than 100 employees.

Decision-makers and end users agree that up-front investment, ongoing cost, and network security are the top three challenges to mobile deployment. Beyond these, end users are more concerned about the risk of failure to deliver and the wait-and-see attitude of their company, while decision-makers are apprehensive about technology readiness, network dependability and coverage, and product support.

“Whether it’s push-to-talk calling, corporate intranet access, or e-mail, it’s critical that IT decision-makers invest in mobile solutions that maximize productivity and reflect the unique needs of their workforce,” said Mick Mullagh, president and chief executive officer of Telephia.

The Telephia Enterprise Insights report is produced bi-annually and based on an online survey of 1,000 decision-makers and 1,500 end users at large, mid-sized and small businesses. Key industry verticals include high tech/telecom, healthcare/ pharmaceutical, financial service/professional service, real estate, transportation/ utilities, construction, and manufacturing.

About Telephia

Telephia is the global leader in performance information for the mobile and wireless industry. Based in San Francisco, Telephia is a privately held company with leading investors that include AEA Investors, Centennial Ventures, Oak Hill Venture Partners, The Megunticook Fund and Cedar Grove Investments, LLC.