Press release dated 23/07/2010
Basque companies continue to improve their information technology facilities in 2010
69.9% of companies have Internet access and nearly half of them have a website
The beginning of 2010 saw Basque companies continuing to improve their ICT –Information and Communication Technology– facilities, according to Eustat data. However, smaller companies are currently registering the greatest percentage growth, as practically all the largest companies already have this equipment.
Even though the growth rate has slowed down over recent years, as companies have acquired the equipment, this steady improvement means that, currently, 76.5% of establishments have a computer, up 0.5 percentage points on the previous year, 69% have Internet access (+0.3 points), and establishments with email now account for 68.3% of the total, up 1.4 points. The mobile phone, up 1.9 percentage points, continues to be the ICT equipment that is most widely used in the Autonomous Community, with 81.7% of Basque establishments having one.
Furthermore, 33.9% of companies have a website, which is 1.5 points up on the previous year. This figure increases to 48.4% if we only take into account the companies that have Internet.
By province, even though the differences are not very significant, these technologies are more widely used in the establishments in Álava, followed by Gipuzkoa. However, the figures for these technologies are slightly lower in Bizkaia
Companies with 10 or more employees have also improved their ICT facilities, even though at a slower rate that smaller ones, as they have already nearly reached the availability threshold, except in the case of websites
These percentages are much higher in establishments with 10 or more employees, and range between the 75.4% that have a website and the 98.1% that have a computer. In addition, 93.4% of them have mobile telephones, 96.2% Internet access and 96.6% email.
The percentage of companies that use these technologies has also increased slightly. Thus, 64.1% of employed personnel use a computer, 55.0% use email and 53.8% have Internet access.
However, it should be pointed out that the percentages of employees using these technologies are very similar, regardless of the size of the establishment, due, among other reasons, to the greater progress made in small establishments and to the fact that not all employees have access to these technologies in the larger ones Elsewhere, it can be seen that Bizkaia has the greatest percentage of employees using these technologies, followed by Gipuzkoa and Álava.
Internet access for Basque companies is largely through ADSL
The number of Basque companies with Internet access currently accounts for 69.9% of the total, following an increase of 0.3 percentage points on the previous year. The most common means of accessing the net continues to be ADSL lines, which now accounts for 85.7% of the total number of companies with access. However, for the first time, its use has fallen by one percentage point, as mobile and cable (fibre optic) connections have increased significantly.
The percentages for the other types of connections are much lower. Thus, 23.5% access Internet by cable, 23.0% by mobile connection (mobile telephone, PDA, USB modem, GSM, GPRS, etc.), RDSI lines account for 10.5%, by modem 7.2% and other landline connections account for 2.3%.
Among companies with 10 or more employees, 96 2% have Internet access. ADSL lines are also the most common type of access for companies of this size, used by 90.3%. Then, and also at quite a distance behind, there are the mobile connections (39.5%), cable (27.7%), RDSI lines (13.8%), the modem (6.3%) and other landline connections (6 3%).
As far as the main reasons for the companies using Internet are concerned, these include searching for information, obtaining financial or banking services and carrying out administrative tasks.
75.4% of Basque companies with 10 or more employees are present on the Internet through a website
Companies are increasingly more aware of the importance of being present online through a website. In the last year, companies who are present on the net accounted for 33.9% of the total, following an increase of 1.5 percentage points, while in the case of companies with 10 or more employees, this figure came to 75.4%, up 3.6 points. If we only take into account companies that have Internet connections, these percentages increase to 48.4% for the total and 78.4% in the case of companies with 10 or more employees.
These websites chiefly contain general information concerning the company itself and a list of products and services offered, disclaimers, after-sales services and job opportunities.
As regards the languages in which it can be accessed, Spanish was most outstanding, in 98.9% of cases, in Basque, 36.7%, in English 28.1% and in other languages 14.0%.
Internet access in Basque companies with 10 or more employees is greater than the EU-27 average
Internationally, and comparing homogenous activity and employment data, Basque companies obtain Internet access percentages (96%) that are higher than the average for the European Union (93%), as well as having a high percentage of broadband use (94% compared to 82%).
23.7% of Basque companies with 10 or more employees used e-commerce in 2009
In 2009, 14.9% of Basque establishments performed e-commerce operations, following a decrease of 0.1 points with respect to the previous year. This figure was mainly due to the 13.8% who purchased online, down 0.1 percentage points, and, to a lesser extent, those who used this method for sales, representing a mere 3.4%, which was a decrease of 2008 points.
These figures were greater in companies with 10 or more employees, where the proportion of those that carried out purchases or sales through the net or via other electronic systems (EDI, Electronic Data Interchange), stood at 23.7%, following growth of 1.5 points. Here too, the greater part of this total was due to those who made electronic purchases, which accounted for 20.2%, up 1.1 points as regards the previous year and, to a lesser extent, due to those who carried out sales using the same channels, which came to 8%, which was the same as in 2008.
Methodological note: To publish the data for the Information Society Survye - ESI - Companies 2010, the Basque Statistics Office (EUSTAT) has used the new National Classification of Economic Activities 2009 (CNAE-2009). The data published until the ESI-Companies 2009 used the National Classification of Economic Activities1993 (CNAE-93). This change has meant nine divisions being created in the classification of economic activities that appear in the published tables and these breakdowns are no longer comparable with previous years.
CNAE-93 and CNAE-2009 classification of activities
The 2001-2009 series are published in the databank on the EUSTAT website using the CNAE-93 and the 2010 data with the new CNAE-2009.
For further information:
Basque Statistics Office
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Tlf:+34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es
Contact: José Miguel Escalada
Tlf:+34-945-01 75 96 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01
Further press releases on the Information Society Survey of the Basque Country - ESI - Companies
Databank on the Information Soceity Survey of the Basque Country - ESI - Companies