The first-ever Orange Business Index, which looks at the previous year's trends in business mobile communications, shows that average data use across all Orange UK business customers increased by over 150% during 2009. The highest increase was among small business, which saw a 290% increase in data consumption to a monthly average of 16.3MB per user. Medium-sized businesses experienced a 226% increase; a monthly average of 10.9MB per user. Much of this increase in mobile data usage has been driven by the rise in popularity of mobile email and web browsing.
Anthony Keyworth, Orange UK's director of products, said "Without a doubt, 2009 was the year of mobile email. With more smartphones on the market than ever before, accessing email and browsing the web has never been simpler. In particular, small businesses have truly embraced smartphones to help them stay in touch, whether this is in the office, out with a client or on the way home. Now, when a customer is looking for the right phone, email is at the top of their requirements. In 2010, we expect this figure to grow even more. As businesses begin to rely on mobile communications more and more, the only way is up for mobile data."