Tablet ownership might still be on the rise – but 24 per cent of UK company CIOs still believe the devices are going to fall out of fashion over the next five years, according to research from Virgin Media Business.

These companies look more fondly on the smartphone however, with 87 per cent believing it would be still be an everyday tool in the workplace in 2017 – and 65 per cent reckon it will kill off the landline.

“A decade ago it would have been unthinkable to suggest an office without telephones. Now it’s hard to imagine being separated from our smartphones,” says says Virgin Media Business COO Tony Grace. “The sophistication of mobile technology is also having an impact on the PC. It’s never been easier to work on the move, making stationary PCs significantly less useful than laptop counterparts. However, tablet technology still has a long way to go to justify itself and sit alongside smartphones as essential business equipment.”