Demand Rises for VoIP services Among Residential, Business Customers: Report

The biannual VoIP and UC Services and Subscribers report from Infonetics Research reportedly found that demand for residential and business Voice over Internet Protocol services continues to grow even as spending in other communication areas tightens.

 

The report also found that for the first half of 2009, worldwide VoIP services grew to $20.7 billion.

 

Currently, residential VoIP services comprise majority of the worldwide VoIP services revenue. There is an increase of 14 percent in the number of subscribers in the home VoIP services segment from the end of 2008.

 

Infonetics also predicted that the number of residential/SOHO VoIP subscribers will cross 225 million by 2013.

 

Business VoIP services segment, especially the managed IP PBX (News - Alert) services, has reported slow growth; however, the research agency predicts that IP Centrex and hosted UC service revenue will grow 26 percent year-over-year in 2009.

 

About a third of the total VoIP business services revenue comes from IP connectivity services. This is estimated to grow to 40 percent by 2013, according to Infonetics. IP PBX services and hosted VoIP and UC services will make up the balance in the VoIP business services segment during that period.

 

North America and the Europe, Middle East and Africa region remain the most prospective markets for VoIP services, the research said. However, the demand for VoIP services is growing fast in Asia Pacific and Central and Latin America.

 

IP Centrex service is gaining popularity among North American small businesses or those with fewer than 100 employees. Infonetics finds that about two-thirds of all IP Centrex seats sold in the first half of 2009 went to small businesses.

 

Among the global VoIP providers, Japan's NTT, France Telecom, and Comcast (News - Alert) in     North America continued their leadership positions as the world’s largest residential VoIP service providers during the first half of 2009. The three world leaders together held nearly 20 percent of world’s VoIP subscribers.

 

Infonetics also predicted that the number of residential/SOHO VoIP subscribers will cross 225 million by 2013.

 

“VoIP and UC Services and Subscribers” report tracks business and residential/SOHO VoIP services and includes a North America Business VoIP Services Leadership Matrix that analyzes and ranks the top service providers in the VoIP business services market, Infonetics officials said.

 

Infonetics also analyzed VoIP equipment markets. In the Q4 2008 edition of its Service Provider VoIP Equipment and Subscribers report, Infonetics said that the market for carrier VoIP equipment stalled in Q408 due to large deployments nearing completion and shifting strategic priorities, says Greg Galitzine's VoIP Authority Blog.

 

The market declined for the first time ever in 2008, dropping 6 percent. The agency also predicted that global economic downturn will likely exacerbate the drop in VoIP equipment sales.

 

The report also indicated that the streak of double-digit annual revenue growth, which has characterized the worldwide carrier VoIP equipment market since 2002, has come to a close.