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1 AT&T Small Business Survey September 2007 reserved. AT&T and the AT&T logo are

2 Methodology Conducted telephone interviews with a total of 1,000 small businesses located in 10 geographically dispersed markets in the continental United States. Interviews were with those who have primary responsibility for information technology. There e were e 100 interviews ie in each market. Small businesses were defined as having between 2 and 25 employees, both part-time and full-time. The 10 markets for the study are exhibited on the next slide. Interviews were conducted between July 2 and August 10, The sampling error associated with a survey of 1,000 respondents is ± 3 percentage points for responses at or near 50% (95% confidence level). The sampling error associated with a survey of 100 respondents is ± 10 percentage points for responses at or near 50% (95% confidence level). To be considered statistically significant, responses between two samples of 100 respondents should be greater than the following (95% confidence level): Approximate % Value Page 2 20%/80% 25%/75% 50%/50% 11% 12% 14%

3 AT&T Small Business Markets Atlanta Bay Area Charlotte Chicago Connecticut Dallas Detroit Milwaukee Oklahoma San Diego Page 3

4 Attitudes & Behaviors of Small Business Owners KEY FINDINGS Page 4

5 Summary of Findings: Attitudes and Behaviors of Small Business Owners 61% of small business owners and/or those with responsibility for IT technology in those businesses, are likely to conduct business while away from the office, such as during a day off or while on vacation. 41% Very Likely 27% Very Unlikely On the importance of having the flexibility to mix work and personal business in their daily routine, one-third (35%) of small businesses rated this flexibility a 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale. An additional 21% rated it a 7 or 8. Page 5

6 Summary of Findings: Attitudes and Behaviors of Small Business Owners (cont.) When asked how much of a factor is the flexibility to mix work and personal business as the reason they work at a small business, 46% of small businesses rated this flexibility as a major factor (rating of 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale). An additional 23% rated it a 7 or 8. Six out of ten (59%) small businesses say their current IT scenario involves using technology strategically, on only the areas that are most critical. Only 9% say they don t see a need for it. An additional 19% say they are dipping their toes in the water, and 11% have so much technology, they put NASA to shame. Page 6

7 Business Away from the Office How likely are you to conduct business while away from the office, such as during a day off or while on vacation? Wireless importance Couldn t survive without it 53% Major challenge without it 47% Use it but don t need it 39% Don t use it 24% Likely (net) 61% Unlikely (net) 39% Page 7

8 Importance of Flexibility in Work-Life Balance Using a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 meaning not at all important, t and 10 representing extremely important, how important is the flexibility to mix work and personal business in your daily routine? Mean: 6.51 Wireless importance Couldn t survive without it 45% Major challenge without it 39% Use itbut td don t need dit 32% Don t use it 22% Page 8

9 Importance of Flexibility in Reason to Work at a Small Business Using a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 meaning not at all important, and 10 representing extremely important, how much of a factor is this flexibility the reason you work at a small business? Mean: 7.28 Page 9

10 Small Business IT Scenarios Which of the following scenarios best describes the IT situation of your business? Page 10

11 Small Business Level of IT Support: Current vs. Ideal Which of the following most closely describes your current level of IT or computer support for your business? Which of the following would be your ideal level of IT support for your business? BASE= Those who require IT support, n=861 Page 11

12 USE OF TECHNOLOGY Page 12

13 Summary of Findings: Use of Technology Nine out of ten (89%) small businesses use mobile, wireless phones, the highest use among the four wireless devices evaluated. WiFi Hotspots 46% PDA 42% PC Data Card 39% Mobile phones also rated the highest for importance, with 67% of small businesses rating it a 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale. PDA 26% PC Data Card 22% WiFi Hotspots t 21% Page 13

14 Use of Technology by Small Business How important are each of the following technologies? If you do not use any, please note that. % Who use technology Wireless Technology Page 14

15 Importance of Technology by Small Business How important are each of the following technologies? (BASE=Those that use each technology) Mean Page 15

16 Technology Use vs. Importance How important are each of the following technologies? If you do not use any, please note that. Wireless technology Men 30% Women 18% Page 16

17 WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY Page 17

18 Summary of Findings: Wireless Technology 13% of small businesses say they could not survive without wireless technology. An additional 29% say they could get by without t wireless technology, but it would be a major challenge, and almost half (46%) say they use some wireless technology, but they could easily get by without it. 51% of small businesses say they currently rely on wireless technology more than they did two years ago. 55% of small businesses say they expect to rely on wireless technology more two years from now than they are currently. Four out of ten (40%) small businesses say the use of wireless technology allows them to spend more time away from their place of business. Only 7% say it allows them to spend less time away. Page 18

19 Summary of Findings: Wireless Technology (cont.) Half (49%) of small businesses agree with the statement, I m optimistic that wireless technology is giving my business a competitive advantage. Markets with the highest and lowest who strongly agree with the statement are as follows: 42% indicate they use wireless PDA s 65% are using as a cell phone 59% are using it to view data 82% check 43% surf the Web 46% indicate they use WiFi hotspots, with 76% using them to check their and 54% to surf the Web. 39% indicate they use PC data cards, with almost two-thirds (64%) saying they check their . Page 19

20 Wireless Technology: Current vs. Future Do you currently rely on wireless technology more or less than you did two years ago? Do you think you will rely on wireless technology more or less two years from now? BASE= Those who use wireless technology, n=876 Page 20

21 Wireless Technology s Role in Spending Time Away from Work Has the use of wireless technology allowed you to spend more or less time away from your place of business? Length in business <2 years 57% 2-5 years 47% 5-10 years 40% 10+ years 36% Number of employees 2 to 10 41% 11 to 25 33% BASE= Those who use wireless technology, n=876 Page 21

22 Wireless Technology s Role in Providing a Competitive Advantage How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement: I m optimistic that wireless technology is giving my business a competitive advantage.? BASE= Those who use wireless technology, n=876 Page 22

23 Wireless Business Activities What type of business-related activities are you using for? Men 62% Women 72% Men 60% Women 54% (n=391) Page 23

24 Wireless Business Activities What type of business-related activities are you using for? Men Wom 67% en 57% Men Wome 48% en 38% Men 36% Women 22% (n=425) (n=361) Page 24