Mobile email market set to ignite

Stan Beer
Thursday, 01 September 2005 11:06

Your IT - Mobility

The number of mobile email users is set to rise significantly, according to a recent survey.

An Optus survey found that while only one in 20 working Australians currently has access to mobile email, one in four regard it as extremely useful or essential.

The survey revealed that amongst the full time employed, 4% currently had mobile access to work email via a handheld mobile device and 6% via a laptop either via a mobile connection or using WiFi at wireless hotspots.

'The survey confirms that Australia has only scratched the surface in terms of mobile email. There is a four-fold gap between those that have mobile email today and those that see it as extremely useful, or essential to their work,' said Paul Kitchin, director of marketing, Optus Business.

Of respondents, 26% rated mobile email access via a handheld device as extremely useful, or essential. This compared to 23% via a laptop with mobile connectivity and 24% via a laptop with wireless (WiFi) connectivity.

'The attraction is constant connectivity. With digital devices such as laptops and PDAs always best connected via wireline and wireless networks we are enabling people to access information and email from anywhere, at any time'”without ever having to sit down at a desktop computer,' Kitchin said.

One in three (34%) of respondents accessed work email from home with more than one in two (58%) rating such access as extremely useful, or essential. At work, fewer people regard email access as extremely useful or essential than have access to it.