Press release dated 11/07/2011
Internet access and having a website in Basque companies with 10 or more employees is higher than the EU-27 average
61.8% of the companies with Internet access, 85.2% in the case of those with 10 or more employees, use it to process formalities with the Public Administration
The beginning of 2011 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, 77.2% of establishments have a computer, up 0.7 percentage points on the previous year, establishments with email now account for 70.7% of the total (+2.4 points), and 72.4% have access to Internet, up 2.5 points. The mobile phone, up 1.1 percentage points, continues to be the ICT equipment that is most widely used in the Autonomous Community, where 82.8% of Basque establishments possess one.
Furthermore, 37.3% of companies have a website, which is 3.4 points up on the previous year. This figure increases to 51.5% 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 and Gipuzkoa. The figures for Bizkaia are slightly lower.
Companies with 10 or more employees have also improved their ICT facilities, even though at a slower rate, 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 98.5% that have a computer, 97.5% that have email, 97.2% with Internet access, 94.0% with mobile telephones and 80.6% that have a website
With regard to the percentage of employees that use these technologies, there are no significant differences on the previous year. Thus, 63.8% of employed personnel use a computer, 55.3% use email and 54.3% 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, amongst 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 72.4% of the total, following an increase of 2.5 percentage points on the previous year. ADSL lines remain the most common means of accessing the net and now account for 86.2%% of the total number of companies with access, even through their use has stabilised over recent years. Mobile connections (29.6%) and cable – fibre optic – (27.2%) have recently increased significantly.
The percentages for the other types of connections are much lower. Thus, ISDN lines account for 9.3%, dial-up connection using a modem accounted for 5.3%, cable 13.8%, and other connections represented 2.2%.
In the case of companies with 10 or more employees, 97.2% have Internet access. ADSL lines are also the most common type of access for companies of this size, used by 89.9%, Then, and also at quite a distance behind, there are the mobile connections (47.3%), cable (31.8%), RDSI lines (17.3%), the modem (5.0%) and other landline connections (6 5.%).
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.
Finally, it should be pointed out that 61.8% of companies with Internet access use that channel to process formalities with the Public Administration, including obtaining information, collecting and filling in different printed matter and forms, processing administrative procedures and submitting bids and tenders, among others.
80.6% 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 37.3% of the total, up 3.4 percentage points, while in the case of companies with 10 or more employees, this figure stood at 80.6%, up 5.2 points. If we only take into account companies that have Internet connections, these percentages increase to 51.5% for the total and 83.0% 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 the main one, in 99.1% of cases, 32% in Basque, 29.0% in English and 14.2% in other languages.
Internet access in Basque companies with 10 or more employees is greater than the EU-27 average
Internationally, and in order to ensure prefect comparability with the EU-27, apart from using the data for companies with 10 or employees for the activities in question, the 2010 data has to be used, where Basque companies had Internet access percentages (96%), higher than the European Union average (94%), as well as having a high percentage of broadband use (94% to 85%). They also had a greater percentage of companies with websites, 74% in the Basque Country in 2010 compared to an average of 69% in the EU-27.
In the case of the Basque Country, these figures in 2011 stand at 97% with Internet access, 96% with broadband and 80% with websites.
23.1% of Basque companies with 10 or more employees used e-commerce in 2010
In 2010, 15.1% of Basque establishments used e-commerce, up 0.2 points on the previous year This figure was mainly due to the 14.2% who purchased online, up 0.4 percentage points, and, to a lesser extent, those who used this method for sales, representing a mere 3.9%, half a point up on 2009.
These figures were greater in companies with 10 or more employees, where the proportion of those that carried out purchases or sales online or using other electronic systems (EDI, Electronic Data Interchange), stood at 23.1%, following a downturn of 0.6 points, even though the percentage companies that purchased or sold online was up. Here too, the greater part of this total was due to those who made electronic purchases, which accounted for 20.3%, up 0.1 points on the previous year and, to a lesser extent, due to those who carried out sales using the same channels, which came to 8.5%, half a point up on 2009.
For further information:
Basque Statistics Office
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Tel: +34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.eus
Contact: Juan Luis Gonzalez
Tel:+34-945-01 75 08 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01
Further press releases on Information Society Survey of the Basque Country -ESI Companies
Information Society Survey of the Basque Country -ESI Companies databank