While RFID (Radio Frequency ID) and GPS (Global Positioning System) applications remain relatively rare among large enterprises, these two application areas will likely become much more common after the next round of wireless contracts are secured. This is one of the findings of a new study, Enterprise Wireless Trends: Carrier Positioning, Applications and Purchasing Behaviors, conducted by Harris Interactive(R) and ForceNine Consulting on the wireless purchasing and usage patterns of large enterprises which generate over $1 billion in annual revenue and deploy wireless applications.

Survey respondents indicated that only 10 percent of their businesses have implemented RFID applications, while 23 percent of them have implemented GPS applications. However, these applications were among the most frequently mentioned as new business applications which will be included in the next round of wireless contracts. Push-to-talk and WiFi were also frequently mentioned as new applications for upcoming contracts.

"We are seeing interest in more aggressive deployment of some of the newer technologies and applications, but it is uneven across industries," stated Andrew Roscoe, partner with ForceNine Consulting. "GPS for example, is already fairly well established in the communications, transportation and utility industries. Manufacturing tends to lead in RFID."

In other findings of the survey, those surveyed from large enterprises expressed limited satisfaction with their current wireless contracts. Only 21 percent of respondents rated their existing service at a nine or 10 on a 10-point scale.

"Wireless continues to rate below other communications services in overall satisfaction to large businesses," stated Dr. Barry Goodstadt, vice president of the Customer Loyalty Management Research Practice at Harris Interactive. "Interestingly, there were not dramatic differences in overall satisfaction across carriers. However, there were significant differences in carrier satisfaction associated with specific components of service, such as geographic coverage, pricing, billing, and customer service."

The survey was designed jointly by Harris Interactive and ForceNine Consulting and conducted online among IT decision makers working in businesses generating over $1 billion dollars in annual revenues. The survey, itself covers applications, technologies, carrier positioning, carrier market share by units, contract, application and industry, corporate policies, and use of wireless applications by industry and corporate function. Survey findings will be released at the Enterprise Wireless Summit, October 5-7, 2005 (http://www.enterprisewireless.net), and are available from Harris Interactive and ForceNine Consulting.

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