How did companies use telecommunications services in 2020?

How did companies use telecommunications services in 2020? What did customer preferences look like in terms of Internet and fixed-mobile telephony choices, network security and cloud computing?

Overall, the percentage of companies that treat telecommunications services as definitely important increased – before the pandemic it was 30%, during the pandemic the rate was already 43%. In representatives of about one-third of the surveyed companies, the pandemic and the quarantine period caused an increase in the demand for telecommunications services, especially for voice calls. Half of the companies provided remote work, and 42% used e-learning.

Online security

UKE’s data shows that almost all surveyed companies use up-to-date software and antivirus programs. Half of the surveyed company representatives say they use solutions that increase the level of online privacy (yet almost ¼ of the surveyed companies have no knowledge of this). The most commonly used solutions to increase the level of online privacy are antivirus programs, followed by secure browsers and encryption of messages and connections. Only 17% of companies use VPNs. Meanwhile, in a remote working environment, connecting to the network via VPN is a more favorable form of data security.

Illustration: report by UKE

Fixed and mobile internet

Nearly 9 out of 10 surveyed companies use the Internet (in any form). A similar percentage uses cell phones, while landline telephony is less popular, used in about 2/3 of the surveyed companies.

Illustration: report by UKE

The Internet is considered a key work tool for communicating with customers, acquiring knowledge, communicating internally, using information portals and acquiring customers (advertising).

Companies choose mobile Internet because of greater mobility, the need to use the network off-site. Other reasons include mobile Internet bundled with a fixed or cell phone and the lack of a fixed Internet connection.

Fixed and mobile telephony

Slightly more than 2/3 of the surveyed companies use up to 5 SIM cards for voice calls (with about 1/4 of those surveyed using only one). Thirty-eight percent of the companies surveyed that use cell phones also use instant messaging on their phones. The most popular apps are Messenger and WhatsApp. As for business mobile users, they prefer voice calls as a form of communication.

Illustration: report by UKE

Cloud computing. Cloud computing

61% of representatives of the surveyed companies have encountered the concept of cloud computing. Among them, about half use cloud computing, more often using third-party infrastructure. Business representatives are satisfied with cloud computing, noting the ease of use and the security of data loss.

Illustration: report by UKE

The role of telecommunications services and their future

The best-rated aspects of the telecommunications market are:

• access to services,
• Their quality,
• And the quality of customer service.

A lower rating was given to the transparency of services and clarity of operation of procedures.

Illustration: report by UKE

ITH: a flexible service provider

Going forward, we offer flexible, customized services at a very affordable price. ITH, or IT house, is a whole range of services for business: Internet, telephony, VPN, cloud computing, hosting. We encourage you to take advantage of the offer and choose the right solution.