Mid-market enterprises are a poorly known segment in Europe’s information and communication technology (ICT) market. Indeed, since these organizations are neither particularly large (no more than 999 employees), nor particularly small (no fewer than 100 employees), they often fail to grasp the attention of ICT suppliers. However, as this report examines, ICT suppliers need to devote greater thought to this segment. The willingness of mid-market enterprises to switch supplier loyalties is growing.

This report focuses on how mid-market enterprises relate to their fixed telecom operators, and in particular to national incumbent operators. It draws on a subset of results from the 2004 European Mid-Market Communications Survey. This comprehensive survey of ICT purchasing trends, completed in April 2004, focused on mid-market enterprises located in Europe’s top five economies: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Key report findings include:
-Equipment and software manufacturers and their channel partners are more trusted and influential than fixed telecom operators in ICT decision-making.
-Among the top five European incumbents, BT’s mid-market customers are most satisfied with the services they receive, while Telecom Italia’s mid-market customers are the least satisfied.
-Alternative fixed operators are finally winning influence and trust among mid-market enterprises, with trust in FastWeb as a telecom supplier eclipsing Telecom Italia in Italy and nearly matching the incumbent as perceived industry leader.