Internet access and use of ICT in enterprises in 2011 In 2011, almost half of all enterprises in the EU27 accessed the internet via mobile broadband Widespread use of e-government

STAT/11/185

13 December 2011

Internet access and use of ICT in enterprises in 2011
In 2011, almost half of all enterprises in the EU27 accessed the internet via mobile broadband
Widespread use of e-government

In the EU27, enterprises1 use the internet for a variety of purposes, among others, to present information on a website, offer online shopping facilities to customers and interact with public authorities2. In the EU27, 95% of enterprises had access to the internet in January 2011. The share of enterprises having a fixed broadband connection3 to access the internet grew slightly from 84% in 2010 to 87% in 2011. On the other hand, the use of mobile broadband connections3 by enterprises in the EU27 increased significantly in the same period, from 27% to 47%.

In 2010, the majority of enterprises in the EU27 used the internet to interact with public authorities (e-government), with 74% of enterprises obtaining information from public authorities' websites and 69% submitting completed forms electronically4.

These data come from a report5 published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, and form part of the results of a survey conducted at the beginning of 2011 on ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) usage and e-commerce in enterprises in the EU27 Member States, Norway and Croatia, with a special focus on internet use to interact with public authorities.

Largest shares of enterprises with mobile broadband connection to the internet in Finland, Sweden and Austria

The level of internet access and fixed broadband internet connections among enterprises in January 2011 was high in nearly all EU27 Member States. The share of enterprises having mobile broadband connections to the internet grew in all Member States from 2010 to 2011, with the largest increases registered in Estonia (from 9% in 2010 to 48% in 2011), Germany (from 22% to 57%), Greece (from 6% to 38%) and France (from 28% to 60%). The highest shares of enterprises with mobile broadband access in 2011 were found in Finland (77%), Sweden (67%) and Austria (65%), and the lowest in Romania (15%), Latvia (23%) and Poland (24%).

Obtaining information from public authorities' websites common among EU enterprises

More than 90% of all enterprises in Slovakia (94%), Lithuania and Finland (both 92%) and Sweden (91%) reported that they used the internet to obtain information from public authorities' websites in 2010, while it was less than half of enterprises in Romania (47%) and the Netherlands (48%). On the other hand, 97% of enterprises in the Netherlands reported that they used the internet in 2010 to submit completed forms electronically to public authorities, followed by 93% in Lithuania and 87% in Greece, Poland and Finland. In Italy and Romania (both 39%) and Cyprus (40%) it was less common for enterprises to use the internet for the purpose of submitting completed forms electronically.

Less than 20% of EU enterprises have a website offering online ordering

In January 2011, 69% of enterprises in the EU27 had a website, compared with 62% in 2006. While 17% of enterprises had a website with an online ordering, booking or reservation facility, which is a quarter of all enterprises with a website, the majority of enterprises in the EU27 had in principle a website for information purposes.

The share of enterprises having a website differs considerably between the Member States. In January 2011, the highest shares of enterprises with a website were registered in the Nordic Member States Finland (93% of all enterprises), Denmark and Sweden (both 89%), and the lowest shares in Romania (34%) and Bulgaria (45%). In all Member States, the use of the website is mainly to inform and not to offer online ordering. The percentage of enterprises with a website offering an online ordering, booking or reservation facility ranged between 9% in Cyprus and Portugal and 33% in the Czech Republic.

Internet access, fixed and mobile broadband connections by enterprises, January 2011
(% of enterprises)

: Data not available

Internet and e-government use by enterprises, January 2011
(% of enterprises)

* Data refer to 2010.

• The survey covered enterprises with at least 10 persons employed in manufacturing, electricity, gas and steam, water supply, construction, wholesale and retail trades, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, transportation and storage, accommodation and food service activities, information and communication, real estate, professional, scientific and technical activities, administrative and support activities, repair of computers and communication equipment.

• Public authorities refer to both public services and administrative activities, e.g. tax, customs, business registration, social security, public health, environment or commune administration. Public authorities can be at local, regional or national level. The 2011 survey questionnaire on "ICT usage and e-commerce in enterprises" comprised a set of questions specific to the interaction of enterprises with public authorities (e-government). Statistics on e-government are requested in the framework of the Digital Agenda Scoreboard. For more information on the Digital Agenda for Europe see

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/digital-agenda/index_en.htm

• Fixed broadband connection refers to fixed internet connections by which a wide band of frequencies is available to send data, e.g. DSL connection. Mobile broadband connection refers to an internet connection which is accessed via high capacity mobile phone networks, e.g. via a portable computer using a 3G modem or 3G handset.

• Submitting completed forms electronically refers e.g. to forms for customs or VAT declarations.

• Eurostat, Statistics in Focus 65/2011 "ICT usage in enterprises 2011". Available free of charge in PDF format on the Eurostat website. The full set of data can be found in the dedicated section: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ict under "Data", “Comprehensive databases”. Please note that ICT data on the Eurostat website are grouped according to the year in which the survey was conducted.