Will Microsoft Convert RIM Enterprise Smartphone, Datacard Users?

Even though smartphone penetration in the USA enterprise level hasn't topped 10 percent yet, a recent poll conducted by InfoTech of enterprise wireless subscribers found 84 percent of respondents saying they use a smartphone, with BlackBerry the Number One choice, followed by Palm Treo and models made by HTC.

Their goal: Sending and receiving e-mail on the fly.

How that e-mail is administered could be changing, though. According to InfoTech, Windows Mobile finally is making some advances in terms of the OS against longtime leader and BlackBerry parent Research In Motion (RIM). As such, the world essentially will come down to RIM vs. Microsoft in the enterprise market, and companies need to make some decisions based on how their employees will work outside of the office.

"The question is: What and why do users need Microsoft? Is it to sync with Outlook? Is it to view Microsoft documents?," comments Mike O'Neill, vice president and publisher, The Telecom Intelligence Group. "If neither of these answers is a resounding 'yes,' then we would suggest RIM, based on the reliability of the Number One technology for smartphones besides voice: e-mail."

More than 70 percent of respondents said e-mail is the most important function of a smartphone, followed by Internet Wi-Fi access at a distant 12 percent, again confirming the reality of enterprise smartphone usage. More than 80 percent of respondents indicated they supplemented e-mail with SMS messaging because the response time for SMS is not dependent on e-mail servers and other latency issues that could delay the need for instant communications.

When it comes to wireless datacards, 49% of survey respondents across all enterprise sizes said they were using them, with nearly 38 percent reporting a preference for the Verizon Wireless network. Sprint the second-largest base at 24 percent. And here are the brand preferences specified by respondents: Sierra Wireless (34%), Novatel (22%) and Sony Ericsson (16%).

"Forty percent of current wireless datacard users already are equipped with the fastest technology available at this time, while only 56 percent of overall wireless datacard users believe the speeds are fast enough for their current needs," adds O'Neill. "And brand loyalty for wireless datacards doesn't exist. Our report says nearly 80 percent of wireless datacard users polled would switch to gain access to faster technology. And the same holds true for wireless carriers; 81 percent of our respondents would switch operators to get faster speeds."

Posted to the site on 16th December 2007