Make way for mobile broadband, businesses told

Businesses will move away from "balky" Wi-Fi towards mobile broadband access over the next two years as the benefits of the technology become clear, tech blog InfoWorld has said.

Columnist Ephraim Schwartz commented that businesses have much to gain from mobile access through cellular modems in PC cards, USB sticks and embedded in laptops.

For example, he said, mobile broadband would create significant return on investment, with USB modem and storage devices allowing information to be accessed, downloaded and transferred on site, without the need to return to the office.

Furthermore, upload speeds are expected to peak at tens of megabytes per second as fourth-generation Long Term Evolution mobile broadband hits the market over the next two years.

Mr Schwartz added that demand from business users will also drive the adoption of cellular access, as users with mobile phones that can access email and the internet demand the same mobile performance from their laptops.

"Mark my words: the enterprise [sector] will be moving away from relying on Wi-Fi hotspots in favour of mobile broadband connectivity," he said.

According to National Statistics, 93 per cent of UK small and medium enterprises - and nearly 100 per cent of large companies - now do business over the internet.