VoIP Adoption in Business to at Least Double in 2010
May 11, 2006 - VoIP Magazine
VoIP technology is moving toward the mainstream, according to a recent study from Infonetics Research. It projects VoIP adoption by small organizations based in North America will triple by the end of the decade. And Infonetics forecasts that overall business adoption of VoIP in that region will increase more than twofold in 2010.
Although VoIP is "still in the early phase of adoption" survey results show that a growing number of companies are deploying VoIP. Some are even taking their legacy TDM PBXs out of service and replacing them with VoIP systems.
According to the new study, "User Plans for VoIP: North America 2006," the average amount spent by organizations on hosted VoIP last year was $47,667. Next year, that number is expected to increase 34 percent to $63,799.
"By our estimates, almost half of small and two-thirds of large organizations in North America will be using VoIP products and services by 2010,” said Matthias Machowinski, directing analyst at Infonetics Research.
Of the North American organizations surveyed, a lower percentage of small organizations used VoIP products and services last year than did large organizations. VoIP was used by 14 percent of small, 23 percent of medium, and 36 percent of large organizations that were interviewed by Infonetics.
The key benefits of VoIP that are influencing purchasing decisions are: it can be integrated across several locations, it's scalable, it promises to save organizations money on operating costs, and it works on converged voice and data networks.
"Our forecasts show a continued steady uptake of VoIP over the next few years, with adoption following a relatively straight line, not the S-shaped curve typically seen in the adoption of emerging technologies,” said Machowinski.
Telephone systems that use the latest technology available are often the ones companies purchase when it's time to buy a new phone system, explained Machowinski. Therefore as voice over IP products and services continue to become more well-known, larger numbers of companies are likely to choose VoIP-based systems.