In a new report, the independent technology analyst reveals the findings of a survey of national and local governments in countries representing every global region. In the report, Ovum states that European governments’ average monthly spend on mobile services is $82, compared to the global average of $60 a month.
Jessica Hawkins, Ovum analyst and author of the report, commented: “Budgetary pressures are continuing to bite government agencies, and doing less with less seems to be the perceived fate of many. This is driving flexible working as a means of reducing real estate bills and running costs of government buildings, which in turn is driving investment in mobile services.
“However, these figures underscore the pressing need for mobile costs to be reined in and for mobile operators and agencies to demonstrate a clear return on investment, in addition to a more strategic approach to contracts and procurement of mobile services.
“The high level of average monthly mobile spend needs to be addressed if agencies are to pursue greater investment. Consequently, costs need to be transparent. Agencies need good visibility of their device management as well as their costs. With seemingly minimal occurrences of employees bringing their own devices to work in the government sector, vendors have a good opportunity to offer competitive pricing for corporate-liable devices that can bring economies of scale for government agencies.”