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Mobile VoIP is becoming increasingly popular. It’s expected that there will be close to 139 million mobile VoIP users by 2014 – with growing social networking services pushing the trend forward, according to new reports.

It was just five years ago that mobile VoIP was introduced to users. 

"Mobile VoIP is gaining real market presence with usage rates climbing rapidly," Amy Cravens, a market analyst, told MSNBC. "As it becomes further incorporated into other mobile apps, specifically social networking apps, the realm of potential use is expected to broaden. This has created a great deal of jockeying among mobile VoIP players trying to develop market share and mobile operators trying to determine the best response to this potentially disruptive service offering."

Mobile VoIP is heading beyond just an option on how to make calls globally for a lower price to become “an integrated component of unified social networking services,” predicts In-Stat.

In-Stat’s recent study shows:

• T-Mobile (News - Alert) users have the most mobile VoIP usage. It is about twice the usage of the total respondents in a new survey.

• Revenues in 2014 will be divided among: Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) (39 percent), Asia/Pacific (32 percent), North America (21 percent), and the rest of the world (8 percent).

• Subscribers to the very portable mobile VoIP can use it when they are traveling overseas and thus not pay roaming fees charged by mobile operators.

• Barriers to mobile VoIP usage will be removed.

In related news, TMCnet reports mobile VoIP is poised to also become an important factor to WiMAX (News - Alert) and Long Term Evolution (LTE). In the coming years, mobile operators and other players will see transformation on how they respond to mobile VoIP, according to a new report from Research and Markets. Mobile VoIP is likely to see significant growth in the future.