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UK Businesses Slow to Adopt Emerging Technologies with VoIP as Most Adopted

November 06, 2020

By Laura Stotler, Business VoIP Contributing Editor

A new study by YouGov in collaboration with BT shows that the slow rate of technology adoption among UK business could affect how they compete globally. The findings include a survey of more than 1,000 businesses ranging from SMEs to large enterprises. VoIP was the most adopted emerging technology, while the IT and telecom sectors were leaders for overall new technology adoption.


The "Future in 2020 Review" report reveals a lack of awareness of many emerging technologies among business leaders as well as a failure to connect technology benefits and improved business performance. Of 14 new technologies included in the survey, more than 50 percent of business leaders were familiar with only half of them. And 40 percent of leaders who have already adopted emerging technologies revealed they were worried they had not been implemented successfully.

"This reveals a tech awareness problem amongst senior business and IT decision makers, which, when coupled with a digital skills gap, risks holding back the productivity and growth of UKplc," said BT in a statement about the report.

The report also revealed that more than 40 percent of businesses surveyed have adopted VoIP. But no other emerging technology had been adopted by more than 25 percent of participants. Of those queried, 20 percent had adopted IoT, and around 30 percent believe 5G will play a role in future plans.

Surprisingly, nearly a third of executives surveyed revealed they have no plans to invest in AI, machine learning or other data-driven technologies. The medical, health and education sectors lag farthest behind in technology adoption, with none of them using any of the technologies mentioned in the study. More than one third of respondents in those industries have no plans to adopt those technologies in the next five years either.

The IT and telecom industries had the broadest investments in emerging technologies, but still managed only a 26-percent adoption rate. The study revealed an overall lack of awareness of emerging technologies among C-level executives, as well as a lack of understanding of how technology drives business performance.

Those surveyed did all agree that increasing revenues, reducing operational costs and boosting productivity are their key goals during the next three to five years. But nearly a quarter of those same businesses don't make a connection between digital tools and improved business outcomes.




Edited by Maurice Nagle

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