Mobile Workers Want a Home Where Data Charges Don't Roam
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. CREDIT: Bill shock image via Shutterstock |
Data roaming charges from cellular carriers are killing mobile worker productivity, a new report states. Many workers are so sensitive to monthly bill shock that they are turning off data roaming when they travel ―largely defeating the advantages of mobility, according to the new report by iPass, a provider of mobility services.
Wi-Fi access on the go is the answer, experts say.
Of the mobile workers surveyed, more than two of five (43 percent) reported encountering an expensive data roaming bill in the past year and, on average, got a high data roaming bill 1.4 times a year, according to iPass.
The average data-roaming shocker was $1,089.
To avoid taking that kind of hit, almost one in four mobile workers (23 percent) said they always turn off data roaming when they travel.
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But there are alternatives: Enterprise IT and mobile operators can provide seamless access to critical data and rich applications on Wi-Fi as a complement to cellular data plans at a fraction of the cost, keeping mobile workers productive and efficient, iPass said.
It's what mobile workers want, the report said. Eighty percent of mobile workers said they preferred using Wi-Fi networks over cellular networks for mobile application use to avoid connectivity lulls as well as high charges.
"For today's mobile worker, connectivity is oxygen," said Evan Kaplan, chief executive officer at iPass. "Prohibitively high mobile data roaming charges are killing mobile worker productivity and people are afraid to turn on their cellular devices."
Reach BusinessNewsDaily senior writer Ned Smith at nsmith@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @nedbsmith.We're also on Facebook & Google+.