IT Industry Wireless Budgets To Increase Ninety-Four Percent in 2002

Security and Bandwidth Key Considerations in Enterprise Wireless Decisions

Adelaide, Australia – International corporate IT industry spending on wireless applications will reach an average of US$680,000 in 2002, a dramatic ninety-four percent rise over US$360,000 in 2001, according to a new report by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) and the Wireless IT Research Group (WIRG) released at the 2002 World Congress on IT in Adelaide, Australia.

The Global Wireless IT Benchmark Report – 2002 reveals that fifty-one percent of firms report increasing their wireless budgets in 2002, while only eight percent will decrease their budgets and forty-one percent of wireless budgets will remain unchanged. The survey also found that wireless email is the most commonly used wireless application, currently in use by 36% of all firms, with an additional 49% of all firms planning to provide it in the future. Next to wireless email, the most popular wireless application is wireless Internet/Intranet access with 81% of all firms currently using or planning to use it.

Security is the most common concern for companies seeking to implement wireless solutions, and more than half (53%) of companies say that they require 112 Kilobytes per second (KBPS) or higher for their wireless applications.

“This groundbreaking research shows a tremendous desire to implement wireless solutions at the enterprise level,” said WITSA President Harris N. Miller today. “There is an opportunity globally for wireless device manufacturers to capture market share, because our study reveals that four in five IT companies say they are not committed to a particular wireless operating system,” Miller added. “Our research shows that providers with strong security measures, extensive coverage areas and data speed will attract customers seeking to invest in wireless systems to improve their communications.”

A total of 336 companies completed the web-based survey of over 40 questions. A majority (40%) of respondents classified themselves as systems integrators or IT consulting companies. Forty-seven percent of companies had operating bases in North America, twenty-four percent in Europe and eighteen percent in Asia.

The Global Wireless IT Benchmark Report – 2002 is a 100-page report with detailed analysis on all questions in the survey. In addition, complete cross-tabs are provided for every question. Copies of the complete Global Wireless IT Benchmark Report – 2002 can be purchased on ITAA (www.itaa.org) and WITSA (www.witsa.org) web sites. Individual paper copies are $650 for ITAA and WITSA members and $850 for non-members.

About WITSA

The World Information Technology and Services Alliance is a consortium of 41 information technology (IT) industry associations from economies around the world. As the global voice of the IT industry, WITSA is dedicated to advocating policies that advance the industry's growth and development; facilitating international trade and investment in IT products and services; strengthening WITSA's national industry associations through the sharing of knowledge, experience, and critical information; providing members with a vast network of contacts in nearly every geographic region of the world; and hosting the World Congress on IT, the only industry sponsored global IT event. Founded in 1978 and originally known as the World Computing Services Industry Association, WITSA has increasingly assumed an active advocacy role in international public policy issues affecting the creation of a robust global information infrastructure. For additional information about WITSA and its activities, go to www.witsa.org.

The WITSA Secretariat is currently hosted by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA). For more information about ITAA, please visit www.itaa.org.