Telecoms terms baffle small firms

Telecommunications firms are failing to connect with Britain's army of small businesses, according to research published by the Ofcom Consumer Panel this week.

The Panel interviewed owners and managers from 300 firms, each of between one and 10 employees in size, and found that most were baffled by the latest communications terminology. Just 16 per cent were able to accurately say that 3G was a high-speed mobile technology, while 17 per cent gave a wrong answer and 67 per cent said they hadn't heard the term.

Wi-Fi fared even worse: just eight per cent understood that Wi-Fi was a wireless technology that provided fast internet access at hot spots, with seven per cent giving an incorrect answer and 85 per cent not able to give an answer. And awareness of voice over IP services was lower still, with only three per cent defining VoIP accurately, another three per cent giving a wrong answer and 95 per cent admitting total ignorance.

In contrast, broadband appears to be much better understood, especially by the larger businesses sampled: 68 per cent could define it, and another 22 per cent had heard of the term.

The findings of the panel - an independent body set up to defend the interests of individuals and small businesses - indicate that telecoms operators have a lot more work to do to persuade potential customers to come on board.

A Consumer Panel spokeswoman said: "We think the industry is not communicating properly with small businesses." She added that a workshop will be held next month to teach telecommunications companies to work better with the SME sector.

3G operators, having invested billions of pounds in licences and equipment, appear to be facing the greatest challenge. The panel also interviewed consumers, and found that the majority of them didn't know what 3G was either.

Graeme Wearden writes for ZDNet UK