According to a survey results, in January 2012, almost half of enterprises in the EU reported that they provided some type of portable device to at least some of their staff for business use. With regard to the type of mobile devices provided to staff, 40% of enterprises provided portable computers and 39% other mobile devices, such as smartphones or Personal Digital Assistants.

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, published the its figures with regard to the ICT usage in enterprises in 2012. The figures show that in January 2012, 48% of enterprises in the EU reported that they provided some type of portable device to at least some of their staff for business use. This was the case for 88% of large enterprises, compared with 71% of medium and 43% of small enterprises. In October 2008, the European Commission proposed to amend the rules on ICT statistics.

Among the enterprises in the EU providing portable devices, 88% reported that these devices can be used by staff to access the e-mail system of the enterprise, 86% to look up information on the internet, 56% to access and modify documents and 45% to use dedicated business applications. With regards to the type of mobile devices provided, the results show almost no difference on an EU level, with 40% of enterprises providing portable computers and 39% other mobile devices, such as smartphones or Personal Digital Assistants (PDA).

On the other hand, the share of enterprises providing portable devices with a mobile internet connection to at least some members of staff ranged from 22% in Romania, 27% in Greece and 31% in Bulgaria to 78% in Finland, 65% in Denmark and 63% in the Czech Republic and Sweden. In the majority of Member States, however, the main use reported by enterprises providing portable devices to staff was to access the e-mail system of the enterprise, with shares of 95% and higher registered in Cyprus (99% of enterprises providing portable devices), Portugal (97%), Malta and the United Kingdom (both 96%), the Czech Republic, Denmark and Spain (all 95%).