New research from BT has uncovered that many workers prefer to use a smartphone over a business laptop in an effort to make work more flexible, with many seeing better connectivity as a route into self-employment.
The results found that 59% of those running a business in the UK choose their smartphone as the “top tech tool”, proving more popular than traditional computing devices including laptops.
According to BT, 41% of entrepreneurs in the UK now run their businesses entirely online, requiring no in-person presence thus offering up a large degree of flexibility. Almost three-quarters (73%) of the survey’s respondents said that they couldn’t do without reliable broadband and mobile connectivity to get work done as high-speed 5G and gigabit connections roll out up and down Britain and other countries.
Run your business from your phone
The study also looked at the significant proportion of workers who have considered setting up their own company online as the cost of living crisis piles on the pressure and wages struggle to catch up.
BT found that workers were keen to break away from the traditional 9-5 routine, allowing them to adapt their routines to other aspects of their life like spending more quality time with the family. Being able to work anywhere was another popular sentiment, hence the choice of a pocket-sized business smartphone for the ultimate portability.
According to Chris Sims, Managing Director for Small and Medium Enterprise at BT, the company is keen on “investing in upskilling more small businesses to help them unlock their digital earning potential”, with a fifth feeling “behind the times” and many lacking the technical know-how to unlock the power of social media and other advertising platforms.
The report claims there has been a 16% year-on-year growth in mobile data usage among BT business customers in the last three years, with the highest ever level of data processed on the network taking place recently (Boxing Day, 2022).
Looking ahead, it’s clear that mobile, home, and business data companies all have an important role to play in many of our future companies.
