These are the main results of survey "Information and Communication Technologies in Brazilian Micro and Small Enterprises," conducted among 4,004 micro and small companies in all regions of Brazil. The survey assessed the rate of use of information and communication technologies by small entrepreneurs in the country.
Even though the rate of use of cellular phones is higher than those of computers and the Internet, the latter figures increased a lot over the last ten years.
The rate of micro and small businesses with cellular phones has more than doubled, having risen from 42% in 1998 to 91% in 2008. On the other hand, the rate of use of the Internet, which reached 71% in 2008, grew more than tenfold since 1998, when it totaled 7%.
Accelerated expansion was also recorded in the number of micro and small businesses with access to computers, which went from 16% in 1998 to 75% ten years later.
Whereas 75% of micro and small companies in Brazil have computers, the Midwest region boasts a much higher rate, where 85% of companies in the category own the equipment.
Next come the Southeast and North regions, with 76% each, then the South, with 73%, and the Northeast, with 71%. The state with the highest rate of computers is Mato Grosso, with 89%, followed closely by Goiás, with 88%.
In terms of sectors of the economy, the use of computers is highest in the industry, in which 81% of enterprises own the equipment. In the services sector, the rate is 76%, and 73% in trade.
Usage of cellular telephones is stronger among micro and small enterprises located in the Midwest region, where 95% of companies in the category own cellular phones. In the North, the rate is 94%. In the remaining regions of the country, the rate is slightly lower and closer to the overall average: 91% in the Northeast and Southeast, and 90% in the South.
Of the Brazilian micro and small companies that have access to the Internet (71% of companies surveyed), 20% have their own website (and 3% appear in sites of third parties).
In the Midwest region, the number of micro and small businesses with Internet access rises to 78%, whereas in the Southeast and South the rate is around 71%. Once again, the state of Mato Grosso is the leader in Internet access, with 86% of enterprises in the category accessing the web.
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