LONDON, September 23 /PRNewswire/ --     A survey* commissioned by the GSMA of 1000 enterprises across the US,
Europe and Asia Pacific has revealed that HSPA Mobile Broadband technology is
growing in popularity amongst global IT decision makers. The survey revealed
that a high number of global organisations currently rely on HSPA for Mobile
Broadband connectivity compared to those that use WiFi. Of the organisations
surveyed, 36% of IT managers/directors and CIOs worldwide currently deploy
HSPA as their principle means of employee Mobile Broadband access.

With worldwide enterprise mobile technology budgets expected to almost
double over the next 12 months, supporting employee mobility and driving
employee productivity are among the top priorities for senior IT staff. HSPA
Mobile Broadband looks set to benefit strongly from this with 24% of global
enterprises expecting the technology to become the industry standard over the
next five years.

The survey shows that on average, 12.3% of global workforces (per
business) have access to mobile broadband. This figure is set to increase by
25% over the next 12 months, introducing millions of new users, as
organisations look to harness the enhanced flexibility, faster connections
and productivity gains driven by Mobile Broadband connectivity.

"The findings provide an extremely encouraging global outlook for HSPA
Mobile Broadband technology penetration within enterprises," says Michael
O'Hara, CMO at the GSMA. "The results clearly demonstrate that enterprises
are keen to innovate and have recognised the freedom and flexibility that
HSPA Mobile Broadband delivers."

A vast majority of enterprises surveyed revealed that of the equipment
they provide to employees currently, more than 70% provide laptops, VPN
access and various other remote access technologies. Because mobility has
become one of the most important technological considerations, the provision
of desktops is on the decline. This is further proved by the fact that 59% of
global organisations have provided wireless internet to its employees.

While the outlook for enterprise mobile broadband technology globally
looks extremely positive, the survey also revealed that only the more senior
positions (60% of company directors, 62% managers) and company sales
representatives (39%) are provided with mobile broadband devices.

"Global enterprises clearly understand the importance of mobility and the
additional freedom and flexibility that HSPA Mobile Broadband offers,"
continues O'Hara. "As the global HSPA ecosystem continues to grow at
unprecedented levels, enhanced economies of scale will make HSPA even more
accessible, both from a price and coverage perspective. This will lead to the
technology becoming more widely deployed within enterprises, to employees at
a variety of different levels."

Notes to editors

*The survey was commissioned by the GSMA and conducted by Loudhouse. 1000
organisations of varying sizes were surveyed in total across the US, Europe
and Asia Pacific. A breakdown of survey demographics is available upon
request.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications
industry. Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's
mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile
ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers,
Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA is
focused on innovating, incubating and creating new opportunities for its
membership, all with the end goal of driving the growth of the mobile
communications industry.