Enterprises might like Sprint’s unlimited plan; or Wi-Fi

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011 Karen Ambrose Hickey, Editor

But why not Wi-Fi? It’s everywhere?

Recent news on AT&T and smartphone billing, AT&T’s “Unlimited” Data Plans Won’t Keep You From Getting Throttled, by John Paczkowski of AllThingsD, discusses the concern on network traffic.

Although a very small portion of the customer base, AT&T noted: “In fact, these customers on average use 12 times more data than the average of all other smartphone data customers.” However, in our upcoming Mobile Workforce Report, 43% of mobile workers reported having a smartphone bill that they thought was too expensive. And, 22% didn’t KNOW.. because they don’t see the bill; their employer does.

So I read with interest this story by Lynette Luna: Sprint’s unlimited data usage with iPhone could be compelling for the enterprise. An analyst quoted in the article, commented that with the iPhone coming out on Sprint, enterprises might want to look into packages for fixed and mobile access. For international travelers, you would definitely want to check with Sprint’s website on whether your phone will work in Europe, as Rick Steve’s points out in Mobile Phones in Europe.

But, don’t forget another alternative, particularly as an iPass customer. Wi-Fi.

• 76% of mobile workers are using the Wi-Fi option on their smartphone/tablets
• 50% are using Wi-Fi all the time on their smartphone
• 40% of mobile workers use Wi-Fi when traveling internationally.

 

If it’s easy, and your users know about it, you could be saving money.