Internet dongles could be the perfect present for a person always on the move as a worker for a small business in IT, it has been asserted.

Michael Phillips, the product director at Broadbandchoices.co.uk, is a firm proponent of broadband dongles as a gift and said they are becoming more popular for a good reason, with the small, lightweight and non-contracted offerings being the "ideal laptop accessory for techies and technophobes alike".

Without ties to contracts or landlines, students, renters and travellers stand to benefit from the technology which is also without complicated software, with consumers potentially saving up to GBP 100 per year as line rental is not an included charge.

Mr Phillips concluded: "Whilst some consumers will spend Christmas morning poring through instruction manuals, those that receive a dongle in their stocking will be surfing the web within minutes of ripping open the wrapping paper, making it the perfect Christmas present for all ages."

Broadbandchoices.co.uk was launched in 2005 and is one of the leading Ofcom-accredited broadband comparison calculators in the UK.

More than half of small businesses (53 per cent) believe that the most important benefit of outsourcing is guaranteed response times for IT support. London-based Connect conducted the research in 2007.