Australia : A sample of Australian businesses are taking advantage of Telstra's world-leading Next G wireless broadband and mobile services and seeing productivity gains averaging 9.3 per cent according to new preliminary research.

Commissioned by Telstra and Ericsson, this ongoing study is finding the highest productivity gains are being achieved by businesses operating in rural and remote areas and with staff working out of the office.

The study is being conducted by independent research company Econtech who has conducted detailed interviews with 26 businesses across Australia that have been using Next G™ for an average of seven and a half months - representing 15 industries across the country. It found productivity gains generated by:

• Employees remotely accessing information through Next G™ mobile broadband, so they could work out of the office and no longer require administrative staff to supply information. This frees up additional time for administrative staff to focus on other office needs.
  
• Using Next G™ mobile broadband to access the internet while travelling converts - dead travel time' into productive time. Some of the customers interviewed also save time and money by not connecting to slower networks at hotels and /or hotspots.
• Use of video calling to provide - on the spot technical troubleshooting'. For instance, transmitting live images of difficult repair tasks to other team members for suggestions.
• Use of the Next G™ network to improve inventory management by recording and sending details of parts and equipment used (or needed) through the network.

Telstra Business Group Managing Director, Ms Deena Shiff, said that mobile communication was revolutionising the way Australian businesses were operating.

"The independent research has confirmed that businesses are discovering new and innovative ways to use mobile phones and wireless internet and this is helping their bottom line," Ms Shiff said. "Telstra's Next G™ network is offering faster mobile internet speeds which has blurred the lines between what is possible in the office and what can now be done out on the road.

"Companies of all sizes are now integrating Next G™ mobile technology into their every day business dealings, which in some instances has helped some customers achieve productivity gains as high as 27 per cent."

Companies participating in the preliminary research represent fifteen industries including: agriculture, forestry & fishing; mining; manufacturing; construction; wholesale trade; retail trade; accommodation, cafes and restaurants; transport; finance and insurance; property and business services; government administration and defence; education, health and community services; cultural and recreational services; and personal and other services.

Participating companies are based throughout Australia including Wee Waa, Murwillumbah, Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and Tuggerah in NSW, Ballarat, Melbourne, Warrnambool and Benalla in Victoria, Geraldton and Perth in WA, Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory, Adelaide in SA, Brisbane in QLD and Canberra in ACT.

A consistent theme identified by the research was that the Next G™ network provided greater access to the internet and enabled respondents to work while travelling. This allowed employees to reduce the number of return trips to the office and cut travel expenses.

Respondents also reported benefiting from faster mobile internet access, which was a particular benefit for customers who needed to access large amounts of data when out of the office. Moreover, the Next G™ network's coverage and speed had reduced the time customers spent trying to make and receive calls, text messages and emails.

"Even after taking into account that early adopters of the Next G™ network may be users who tend to benefit more than the average customer, and that the more satisfied customers are likely to have agreed to participate in the case studies, the results clearly show very significant productivity gains from using the Next G™ network," Mayela Garcia, Senior Economist at Econtech, said.

The national study was conducted by Econtech, an independent national consultancy. All results came from customer research and no economic modelling was used to develop the average productivity increase.