According to a AT&T small business technology poll, which surveyed 1,000 small businesses nationwide, more than half (56%) of smartphones used by small business employees for business purposes are 4G, a 70% jump in usage from last year when only 33% used 4G smartphones. Nine in 10 (90%) of the businesses using 4G smartphones are satisfied with the speed. 98% of small businesses use some form of wireless technologies in their operations.

Two-thirds (66%) of small businesses polled indicate that they could not survive – or it would be a major challenge to survive – without wireless technologies.

More than four in ten (41%) small businesses report that all their employees use wireless devices or wireless technologies to work away from the office.

Additional findings from the survey:

Devices:

• More than two-thirds (69%) of small businesses surveyed indicate that they use tablet computers.
  • Results indicate that the larger the business, the more likely they are to use tablets, with 90% of those with 51 to 99 employees using them, compared to 69% of those with 50 or fewer employees.
  • Additionally, newer businesses are more likely to use tablets, with 80% that are less than 2 years old using them, compared to 69% of those two years and older.
• 85% of small businesses reported using smartphones for their operations, more than double the usage five years ago (42%).

Mobile Applications:

• Nearly one-third (31%) of small businesses surveyed use mobile apps, with top three reasons being to save time, increase productivity and reduce costs.
• Slightly less than half (47%) of small businesses using mobile apps say they could not survive – or it would be a major challenge to survive – without them.
• Of small businesses using mobile apps, GPS navigation and mapping are by far the most popular with 74% of business owners using them, followed by location-based services (43%); document management (35%); social media marketing (32%); and mobile payments in the field (30%).