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Infonetics: VoIP Services Market Grew 33 Percent in 2008

May 15, 2009

By Patrick Barnard - Group Managing Editor, Virtual PBX

A recent report from market research firm Infonetics Research shows that the global VoIP services market grew 33 percent in 2008 to $30.8 billion.


Infonetics’ biannual VoIP and UC Services and Subscribers reports reveal that, despite the global recession, businesses continue to switch from traditional telephone service to hosted VoIP or “virtual PBX” services. They’re being drawn to VoIP, the report finds, because of the cost savings and productivity enhancing features it brings.

The report defines VoIP services to include hosted VoIP (or IP Centrex), hosted UC (unified communications), integrated IP access, managed or virtual IP PBXs, residential VoIP, SIP trunking and other types of IP voice access, including voice VPNs.

Although business VoIP services represented only 31 percent of the total, this area grew faster than residential services during the year. Managed IP PBX, hosted/virtual IP PBX and hosted UC services accounted for three-fourths of the business VoIP total.

Interestingly, the report finds that SIP trunking is the fastest growing segment of business VoIP services. Diane Myers, directing analyst, service provider VoIP and IMS, Infonetics Research, predicts SIP trunking will hit an 89 percent compound annual growth rate from 2008 to 2013 – this trend driven mainly by cost.

“Demand for residential and business VoIP services continues to grow through the economic downturn because of the cost savings they provide,” Myers said in a statement. “For the first three months of 2009, service providers experienced an average of 40 percent to 50 percent year-over-year growth for IP Centrex, indicating the demand for outsourcing and managed solutions remains healthy.”

Myers said she expects hosted UC services to take off as well, with worldwide revenue doubling between 2009 and 2013.

Nextiva is a leading provider of hosted business VoIP services. The company offers two business VoIP solutions: Nextiva Connect, which works with your existing service and allows you to manage incoming calls more efficiently with features such as auto-attendants and call forwarding; and Nextiva Connect 360, a complete business VoIP solution offering feature rich functionality plus cost savings when it replaces your existing business land-line service from the local phone company.

Earlier this year the company won a 2008 Product of the Year award from Unified Communications magazine, a Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) publication. It also won a 2008 Product of the Year Award from Internet Telephony magazine, also a TMC publication, in January.

Both solutions feature an advanced auto attendant (or “virtual receptionist”) that plays different recorded messages based on the time of day or day of the week, as well as accurately routing calls to employees in your organization, regardless of where they are working (office, home, remote office, or on the road) -- or whether they are using a landline or cell phone. The auto attendant capability lets callers dial by name or dial by extension -- thus it enables you to make your small business sound like "Fortune 500" company. What’s more, both services let you easily establish a local or toll free phone number so you don’t have to pay exorbitant rates when customers (or even employees) call your office.

Other advanced features include business voicemail, conference calling, and centralized, Web-based administration.

Most impressively, you get started with this advanced business VoIP service for as little as $20 a month.

To learn more about Nextiva’s business VoIP services, click here.

Patrick Barnard is a contributing writer for virtual-pbx. To read more of Patrick’s articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Patrick Barnard

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