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SonyEricsson Gets Into VoIP
By RICH TEHRANI
TMCnet Technology Analysis Columnist
Perhaps one of the most telling signs of success in the VoIP market is all the large companies jumping into our space and Microsoft, Google, AOL and others were logical ones to jump in. I am surprised that now computer hardware makers are getting into the game. For example Sony Ericsson is touting a new headset, the HBH-608, and its ability to work with a Sony VAIO notebook can allow users to make VoIP calls on the bluetooth headset.
The mainstreaming of VoIP is probably what is leading to record attendance to our Internet Telephony Conference & Expo and as I mentioned yesterday, ITEXPOs routinely have the most attendees of VoIP events.
Speaking of industry growth, I was speaking to a reporter yesterday who was trying to ascertain the size of the VoIP market in dollars. Of course it was the consumer market he was after. I figured somewhere between 4 and 5 million people are using VoIP in this country if you factor in cable companies, Vonage and others. They pay an average of $25 or so. This would put the market size at around 1.2 billion dollars
I went on to say it is the services that tomorrow’s service providers need to worry about, as voice is commoditized and if you aren’t able to do innovative things and charge for them, where will you be in 3-5 years as prices drop further?
I kept thinking of TMC’s Consumer VoIP Marketing Summit that will take place at ITEXPO in October and how we will be discussing ways for service providers to market their services to maximize sales and profits. The feedback to this session has been exquisite as it seems service providers are really pricing in a vacuum today and other than getting negative feedback from bloggers when they go too high, they don’t know if their pricing is the most profitable it can be.
I wish the show was sooner but I have to wait to October 24-27 for it all to take place. Until then, I welcome you as a regular reader of my blog.
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