Airports and rail companies failing to keep up with demand for internet access

Business travellers short-changed as rip-off providers exploit wi-fi need

Demand and prices increase as service and trust falls

Business travellers are finding it harder than it was a year ago to get online at airports, railway stations and other locations, according to new research from silicon.com, the award-winning website for senior business decision makers.

This surprising finding comes despite an overall rise in the number of on-the-move sessions and travellers increasingly saying wi-fi is critical - that they will lose business if they don't get online.

When asked whether they had lost business as a result of not being able to get online while on their travels, this year 20 percent of respondents said they had, versus 18 percent a year ago.

The annual Business Traveller Survey* found that the number answering 'sometimes' to the question 'Do you have difficulty getting online while on the road?' was up by seven points, from 60 to 67 percent. The number answering 'Yes, always' to the same question remained static, at 13 percent, while the answer 'Rarely, these days' fell from 23 to 17 percent of respondents and 'No' fell from 5 to 3 percent.

Tony Hallett, site director of silicon.com, said: "We are witnessing a boom in people using the internet remotely, whatever their method, but with this research users are telling us that the service they receive just isn't good enough.

"Coupled with connections being just too hard to make, new questions we have asked - in line with our current Fair Wi-fi campaign - show us users feel they are charged too much. Business travellers contribute a disproportionate amount of revenue to the travel industry and hotels, yet are being exploited. They are not asking for free connections, just a fair fee and a reliable connection."

The latest silicon.com research reveals the use of the internet in airport lounges is up, as it is at hotels, conference centres and coffee shops which often have wi-fi 'hotspots'. Up by eight points, 84 percent of respondents said they use the internet at these places. Only 17 percent, as opposed to 27 percent last year, say they 'never' use it.

Meanwhile, this year 89 percent said hotels charge too much for internet access. The option 'I only stay in a hotel if I know it offers cost-effective internet access' was chosen by 7 percent of respondents.

Over the past year, there has also been a swing in those that travellers say they trust for advice on connectivity.

Who would you trust for advice on connectivity while travelling?	2005 (%)	2006 (%)	Point change year-on-year
A location owner (eg bar, caf�, hotel)	39	35	-4
A cellular or hotspot service provider	56	53	-3
An airline/airport or rail network/operator	34	30	-4
The media	10	11	+1
Other travellers generally	15	22	+7
Other travellers who know the location from where I am trying to connect	50	60	+10

Respondents could select more than one answer.

Tony Hallett added: "There is clearly some distrust of industry - whether that's on the travel or communications side - and the media is regarded even more poorly. But business travellers clearly trust each other, increasingly so."

Of the business travellers surveyed online in February and March 2007, 82 percent were based in the UK, with 66 percent travelling to UK towns and cities using the rail network and 48 percent using domestic airlines. 79 percent of respondents travel to Western Europe, while 57 percent visit the US. Overall, levels of travel to all areas of the world were up by over 3 percent on average year-on-year.

* Survey completed by 615 silicon.com readers in February and March this year, compared with the same questions answered by 991 readers a year ago.

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