Whether it is in large enterprises, SMBs or home offices, the desk phone is still relied upon by hundreds of millions of people and organizations around the world. With so many new telecommunications solutions available today, is the desk phone on its way out?
In a blog on theucbuyer.com, Cora Cloud says even though there are new technologies in the market place, new generation IP phones are integrating softphone and mobile devices to ensure they will be around for the foreseeable future.
One of the biggest challenges for desk phone manufacturers is mobile. With BYOD initiatives now becoming the norm in many organizations, Cloud’s argument it could have an impact is valid. However, she goes on to say, “Many employees still need and want desk phones.”
The excitement in mobility and softphones is making a dent, but in most cases they are part of a desk phone solution. A survey carried out by Forrester (News - Alert) revealed 7 out of 10 workers still spend 4 to 5 days a week at their desk, and 88 percent of the calls they make are made on a desk phone.
Cloud also points to a survey by the Pew (News - Alert) Research Center about employed adults with Internet access. Thirty five percent stated desk phones are “very important” to their jobs, while only 24 percent say the same of mobile phones.
Regarding desk phones, Rob Arnold, the principal analyst for Information and Communications Technology at Frost & Sullivan (News - Alert), said “In fact, our research shows a single-digit increase in the volume of IP desk phones shipped over the last couple of years, and we expect to see that happen with a small incremental increase year-after-year. In 2014, just about 20 million IP phones shipped globally. That has really been driven by the increase in SIP phones and IP media phones.”
One of the companies introducing a wide range of IP desk phones designed for the integration of today’s collaborative and mobile environment is Yealink. The company is a global UC terminal solution provider with UC&C terminal products and services to increase the communication efficiencies of businesses.
The long term outlook for desk phones looks great, because companies such as Yealink (News - Alert) are manufacturing phones with the features users want and need. A survey by Software Advice drives that point. It said among organizations with VoIP service, desk phones are still the most widely adopted phone type, used by 64 percent of the respondents.
Edited by Maurice Nagle