Wi-Fi usage in UK yet to catch on according to new survey Consumers confused over how to access wi-fi

19 January 2006 6:01 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Wi-Fi usage in the UK has a long way to go before it catches on according to a new survey carried out by Toshiba.

The company questioned approximately 3,300 UK consumers on various issues relating to notebooks.

Interestingly the research identifies that despite the installation of wireless technology in over 10,000 locations across the UK, users are still reticent about using it.

Only 11% of consumers make use of them in hotels, 7% on trains and 3% in coffee shops.

Twenty-three per cent of users with wirelessly equipped notebooks stated they didn't use the technology because they don't want to pay for it with 19% stating that security concerns prevented them using it.

A further 19% claimed they simply didn't know how to use the wireless functions of their notebook and 15% claimed there are not enough wireless locations for them to truly capitalise on wireless technology, despite there being over 10,000 Wi-Fi locations in the UK.

Fear of theft (35%) and privacy fears (27%) were also given as reasons for not using mobile PCs in public.

Ninety per cent of those questioned believe that owning a laptop meant that they worked more hours - a fifth said that notebooks make them work more than 10 hours a week.

Sixty-five per cent of those questioned thought the content of their laptop was worth less than £1,000, despite them using it to store their entire music and photo collection (around 2,000 songs for instance could be worth around £2,500) as well as important work documentation.