Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) enjoyed strong growth in 2005, with new estimates from TeleGeography forecasting VoIP enabled lines to reach over 19 million by 2010 in the US.
Total VoIP subscribers grew by a massive 284% year on year in the last quarter of 2005, reaching 4.5 million, compared to just 1.3 million for the same time in 2004.
Operating revenue also saw a solid increase rising by over 300% in 2005, hitting over $1 billion in 2005, up from less than $200 million in 2004.
TeleGeography claims that 2005 was fuelled by a strong performance from market leaders Vonage and Time Warner, followed by Cablevision and Comcast.
Cable companies were found to account for 52% of the market, with enhanced service providers, such as Vonage, covering 37%.
VoIP is proving a lucrative technology for cable providers, with Comcast saying it ended 2005 with more than 200,000 VoIP customers, while Cablevision has more than 600,000 digital voice subscribers (see Cable VoIP Revenue Hit $5.6 Billion In 2005).
According to Bernstein Research, VoIP net additions are expected to accelerate through to 2007, with a peak of 4.6 million additions over the next year.
Globally, the International Data Corporation also forecasts strong growth for VoIP, projecting 27 million users to have subscribed by 2009 (see VoIP Gaining In Popularity).
In-Stat’s recent Global VoIP Has Arrived; Just Not as Expected report showed that total VoIP subscribers reached 16 million in 2005, enjoying a year on year jump of 62%. In-Stat projects the medium to grow to over 55 million in 2009 (see Popularity Of E-Shopping Continues To Grow).
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