More than a third of SME managers think they are paying too much for their mobile services with around a quarter admitting they do not understand enough about mobile technology to make an informed decision on tariffs.

So says a new report from T-Mobile and YOuGov, which showed that despite these concerns, almost a third of SME managers say their company has not reviewed mobile phone costs for two or more years.

YouGov sampled 835 SME managers working in private sector companies and found that around a fifth of respondents thought the pricing structure of mobile plans is difficult to understand.

Lack of flexibility, international call costs, poor customer service and lack of tailor-made plans were all cited as frustrations with their current mobile communications packages.

YouGov also asked what mobile technology SME managers consider to be a “must have” in order to stay ahead of the competition. Internet-enabled mobile phones were the top choice (24 per cent), followed by virtual private networks (22 per cent) and wi-fi Hotspots (21 per cent). BlackBerrys and satellite navigation systems were considered the joint fourth “must have” by 20 per cent of those surveyed.

Derek Williamson, Head of Business Marketing, at T-Mobile UK challenged SMEs “to take a fresh look at their mobile price plans to ensure they really are getting the best plan for their business.”

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