No widespread mobile working until 2010

The majority of European organisations will not be truly mobile until 2010

A third of European companies claim that more than half of their staff are stuck in the office because of IT limitations.

Despite an increase in spending on wireless technology, the majority of European organisations will not be truly mobile until 2010, according to research from IT consultancy firm Avanade. 

"Although the study presents a longer term view of the mobile enterprise in Europe, it is heartening to see that companies recognise the tangible benefits brought by mobile-enabling a workforce," said Richard Hall, European chief technology officer at Avanade.

"Clearly, by 2010 employees will have the freedom to perform at optimum levels regardless of their location."

Just over a third of the companies surveyed believe that mobile technologies will let them operate in fewer physical locations and use less office space within the next three years.

"The primary perceived business benefit of moving to a more flexible/mobile business and IT infrastructure is improved employee efficiency and productivity, " stated Avanade's Mobile World at Work report.

The study included interviews with 210 chief information officers from the top 250 organisations in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands and Nordic countries.