Businesses in the Gigabit fast lane

The way we work is changing; our exposure to new and innovative technologies has been a significant driving force behind recent investment and developments in the workplace.

Keen to find out more, we asked business owners and employees how they felt their workplace would change over the next five years while at Manchester’s IP EXPO and The Business Show in London. Results of the polls revealed that British workers expect new technology to bring about big changes to the way they work.

You can read our top three findings below:

Bandwidth hungry businesses

Our results highlight that businesses across the country will need substantially more bandwidth over the next five years as they grow and develop. More importantly, business owners believe this will underpin the introduction of new and exciting technology in the work environment, as well as going hand-in-hand with organisational growth.

We found that 65% of the people we spoke to in London felt their business will need 5 to 10 times more bandwidth than they are currently using to support future working practices. While this number is high, demand in Manchester was even greater, with 78% of IP EXPO attendees reporting that their companies will require the same increase over the next five years. 

The hi-tech future workplace

With so much appetite for bandwidth, it’s no surprise our poll found Gigabit speed Ethernet connection to be the most popular new technology that UK businesses expect to see in 5 years.

This dramatic increase in bandwidth requirement stems from the predicted adoption of business tools which require increasingly powerful internet connections. The second most popular technological advancement expected in the workplace surrounds the future of A.I. assistants. Products such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana have shown consumers that digital assistants offer a new way to interact with our phones and PCs, but even their natural language comprehension is dependent on a robust internet connection.

We also found that our attendees believe in a flexible working future, particularly in regard to when and where it takes place. 72% of people we spoke to expect to have more workplace flexibility over the coming years. An impressive 58% of those we spoke to believe they’ll be able to work from anywhere in five years due to advancements in technology. 

The end of the meeting room?

The trend for remote and flexible working is reflected in some of our other findings. The third most desired future workplace technology is telepresence robots. With more employees working from home, causing hours spent in the office potentially not lining up in a traditional manner, it is not too surprising that a telepresence robot appears to be a useful tool not only for meetings, but also to maintain independent contact with the office.

Further to this, face-to-face meetings are predicted to decline by both Business Show and IP EXPO attendees, as 43% believe that the number of in-person meetings they attend will reduce. You may be surprised to know that 8% claimed they wouldn’t have any face-to-face meetings in five years’ time at all!   

Overall, the picture for British businesses is an optimistic one of innovation and technological advances.  Our survey found that 89% are optimistic when it comes to future business growth and 55% expect that growth to come quickly. A flexible connectivity solution that can keep pace with the business as it expands, will be key to the success of these businesses. 

It was encouraging to see that British businesses are on the road to success and we are committed to providing the robust and reliable connectivity necessary to support future working practices. As the demand for bandwidth rises, Gigabit connectivity will ensure they stay in the fast lane.