Internet Use Changing over to Smartphones
THUNDER BAY – Business Solutions – Smartphones are changing how people do business. The shift from desktop computers, to laptops, tablets and smartphones is changing how people get their information.
Pew Media Research in the United States states that “63% of adult cell owners now use their phones to go online, a figure that has doubled since we first started tracking internet usage on cell phones in 2009”.
Internet speed is a huge issue as well. The survey found that 77% of cell internet users say they experience slow download speeds that prevent things from loading as quickly as they would like. Of those cell internet users, 46% face slow download speeds weekly or more frequently.
For Northwestern Ontario access to fast reliable Internet is an area of increased competition, and has communities needing access.
A recent trip to Marathon was to experience some of the concerns. Where in Thunder Bay Internet download speeds vary from ten megabyte per second downloads to well over 50 megabytes, in Marathon the fastest download is ten down.
One of the lesser known Internet issues is the upload speed. That determines the speed a file can be uploaded. In Thunder Bay the upload speed is five megabytes per second for most services. Telus offers upload speeds of up to twenty-two megabytes.
Fast and reliable wireless Internet and Your Business
The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC)states, “E-commerce is revolutionizing the way Canadians do business, but Canadian entrepreneurs are missing out. Just 10% of small businesses were selling online last year, Statistics Canada says. Meanwhile, Canadian consumers spent an estimated $21 billion on online purchases last year, up nearly 30% in just two years, according to research firm eMarketer”.
“The world is moving toward this type of commerce,” says Anita Bezeau, Assistant Vice President, Information and Communication Technology Solutions at the BDC. “Canadians are online, but Canadian businesses aren’t there. The result is Canadian consumers are buying online from the U.S. and other countries.”
In Thunder Bay the ease of ordering online from the United States and shipping to Grande Portage presents an issue for all local businesses. As well, flyers from America big-box stores are not only available online but are often included with newspapers across the region. Having a greater online presence is a key for future success.
Online on Smartphones
“In addition, 34% of these cell internet users say that they mostly go online using their cell phone. That means that 21% of all adult cell owners now do most of their online browsing using their mobile phone—and not some other device such as a desktop or laptop computer”.
“A majority of the public now owns a smartphone, and mobile devices are playing an increasingly central role in the way that Americans access online services and information,” said Aaron Smith, a Senior Researcher at the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project. “For many, such as younger adults or lower-income Americans, cell phones are often a primary device for accessing online content—a development that has particular relevance to companies and organizations seeking to reach these groups.”
