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Published in Science and Technology on Monday, March 25th 2013 at 22:01 GMT by Market Wire

March 26, 2013 00:01 ET
Data Caps and Connectivity Challenges Hinder Mobile Worker Productivity
iPass Mobile Workforce Report Shows That While Companies Embrace BYOD, Wi-Fi Challenges Continue to Affect Advancements
REDWOOD SHORES, CA--(Marketwire - Mar 26, 2013) - [ iPass Inc. ] (
Forty-two percent of mobile workers agree that excessive charges and restrictions in monthly plans force them to limit their data usage, negatively impacting productivity. The report shows that a quarter of mobile worker respondents expense back their mobility costs and fifty-four percent would pay for a Wi-Fi roaming plan. However, even with all these challenges, Wi-Fi remains the connectivity option of choice for nearly two thirds of all mobile worker respondents.
"We are seeing that mobile workers are becoming more cautious about exceeding data caps and deliberately limiting their data usage, which is hindering productivity," said Evan Kaplan, chief executive officer, iPass. "Clearly, enterprises that provision mobile workers with devices, or leverage a BYOD strategy, need to ensure that workers can connect when and where they want, and work on-the-go as cost-effectively and productively as possible."
The corporate BYOD trend that allows employees to leverage their own personal devices for work continues to grow. Sixty-two percent of mobile workers stated they already use their personal smartphones. Seventy-two percent believe their personal devices should be enabled for work purposes. Consistent with this trend, the report suggests there is a growing diversity in the types of devices that mobile workers use.
The report also shows a distinct trend in the mobile device of choice. While in 2012 laptops were the preferred device for mobile workers, the top choice is now an iPhone. Only 12 percent of mobile workers named laptops and notebooks as their preferred mobile device. Even MacBooks, which are typically viewed as a desirable high-quality device, experienced a decline. This change could be attributed to the fact that more corporations are embracing BYOD. As more organizations continue to implement BYOD, workers are carrying fewer devices, likely because fewer people have an IT-provisioned device in addition to a personal device. The report states that mobile workers are carrying 2.95 devices on average, compared with 3.5 in 2012.
Upon further analysis of device choices, our report shows that the Samsung Galaxy and Windows 8 tablets are starting to gain momentum in the tablet market. Twenty-eight percent of mobile workers stated they plan to own a Samsung Galaxy tablet within the next six months. Seventeen percent of workers say they will have a Windows 8 tablet within the same time period.
For more statistics and findings, please visit [ http://www.ipass.com/resource-center/surveys-reports/ ]
About the Report
The [ iPass Mobile Workforce Report ] is published quarterly. This report was based on a survey of more than 1,600 mobile enterprise employees worldwide between January 17, 2013 and February 8, 2013. The iPass Mobile Workforce Report can be found at [ www.ipass.com/resource-center/surveys-reports/ ]
[ About iPass Inc. ]
iPass helps [ enterprises ] and [ telecom service providers ] ensure their employees and subscribers stay well connected. Founded in 1996, iPass (
iPass® is a registered trademark of iPass Inc. Wi-Fi® is a registered trademark of the WiFi Alliance. All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners.