zBoost State of the Signal Survey Reveals More than 50 percent of Online Teleworkers Experience Cell Phone/Smartphone Service Problems

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With summer in full swing and gas prices remaining high, more companies are providing employees the opportunity to telework. However, according to the annual zBoost State of the Signal Survey commissioned by Wi-Ex, a leading provider of consumer and commercial cell phone signal boosters, and conducted online by Harris Interactive from April 5-7, 2011, 55 percent of online teleworkers¹ who use a smartphone or cell phone for teleworking experience problems with their service while teleworking including poor signal, dead zones or dropped calls. The survey also found that almost 60 percent of online teleworkers who own a cell phone or smartphone said a cell phone or smartphone is extremely or very important to successfully teleworking.

“Teleworking is quickly becoming a necessity in today’s workplace. From transportation challenges with the high cost of gas and long commutes to added flexibility and work life balance, employees and companies are embracing teleworking, but without the right tools teleworking can become a frustrating experience”

“Teleworking is quickly becoming a necessity in today’s workplace. From transportation challenges with the high cost of gas and long commutes to added flexibility and work life balance, employees and companies are embracing teleworking, but without the right tools teleworking can become a frustrating experience,” said Sharon Cuppett, vice president of marketing of Wi-Ex. “No one can afford to miss or drop more than 50% of their business calls. It’s why so many of use cell phones for business in the first place, but they HAVE to work – that means they need a strong signal and in 50% of the cases, they need an indoor signal booster like zBoost."

The zBoost line allows users to take full advantage of data, voice and Internet services on their iPhones, BlackBerry, DROID, connected devices, smartphones and other mobile phones including 3G high-speed data and video, instant messaging, pictures and more - at home, in their personal workspace or in a corporate office, both in the U.S. and abroad.

State of Teleworking

Cell phone and smartphone owners are helping lead the growth of teleworking. The zBoost State of the Signal Survey found that 34 percent of employed online cell phone and smartphone owners’ telework and 22 percent of those online teleworkers expect their time teleworking to increase in the next 12 months due to increase in gas prices, changes in the economy and more flexible work situations.

The zBoost State of the Signal Survey also found that nearly 80 percent (76 percent) of online teleworkers who own a smartphone or cell phone save time each week due to teleworking. However, the survey also found that 27 percent of employed online cell phone/smartphone owners strongly or somewhat agree that their work day has been extended by the use of their cell phone or smartphone for business use and 28 percent of employed online cell phone/smartphone owners sometimes read emails or websites when they can’t sleep.

Tablets Take on Teleworking

Tablets like the iPad and Android Zoom are quickly becoming a staple in today’s businesses. The zBoost State of the Signal Survey found that 28 percent of online teleworkers cite a tablet as at least somewhat important to successful teleworking.

The zBoost line of products improves signal strength for better voice and data transmission while maintaining the integrity of the carriers’ networks using patented technology. zBoost speed tests reveal that the zBoost line of cell phone signal boosters can increase data speeds by as much as 180 percent or almost three times as fast helping the growing number of tablet teleworkers with faster data speeds.

About Wi-Ex

Wi-Ex (www.wi-ex.com), a leading provider of cell phone signal boosters, developed zBoost, the first consumer-priced signal booster that “extended cell zones” for the small office/home office cell phone market. Wi-Ex expanded their “extending cell zone coverage” beyond consumers to corporate enterprises and large commercial applications. From M2M applications to large commercial complexes to the rising number of teleworkers, the zBoost line provides a business-centric solution for improving poor in-door cell phone coverage domestically and internationally. The zBoost product line works with most carriers in the US and abroad including AT&T, Sprint, Vodaphone, Verizon and T-Mobile. The award-winning zBoost home and office solutions help today's connected consumers including iPhone, iPad, Android (DROID), BlackBerry, and smartphone users with dropped calls and slow data. They were awarded a 2007 and 2010 Consumer Electronics Association Innovations Honoree by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). They also were selected as a finalist for the 2007 and 2009 CTIA Emerging Technologies (E-Tech) Award. As the leader, zBoost has more awards, more sales and more locations than all their competitors combined. Wi-Ex continues to develop innovative products to meet the demands of an increasingly wireless society by enhancing wireless signals.

About the zBoost State of the Signal Survey

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Wi-Ex from April 5-7, 2011 among 2,260 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Deanna Anderson at danderson@aquapr.com.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world’s leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what’s next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

¹ For the purposes of this survey, telework is defined as working from home

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