Revenues for residential voice over internet protocol (VoIP) in North America are predicted to expand considerably over the next few years, increasing to over $4 billion by 2010, up from $295.1 million in 2004, according to a new report by Frost & Sullivan.
The research group estimates the number of residential VoIP lines to increase to about 18 million by 2010, up from just 1.5 million in 2004.
The latest figures from internet research specialist, Point-Topic, claims that over 11 million people now use retail VoIP services for at least some of their phone calls, an increase from just over 5 million in mid 2004 (see Worldwide VoIP Subscribers More Than Double).
However, the latest consumer study from TeleGeography Research shows that 30% of residential broadband subscribers in the US have never heard of VoIP, identifying a problem for marketers of the technology (see VoIP Fails To Reach US Consumers).
The slow uptake of VoIP is put down to a lack of consumer knowledge, with awareness of the technology yet to penetrate the marketplace. New research from TNS Telecoms shows that just 26% of US households with internet access claim to have heard of VoIP (see Consumers Lack Knowledge Of VoIP).
However, a recent study by International Data Corporation (IDC) shows that VoIP is beginning to attract more consumers, predicting that 27 million users will have subscribed by 2009, an increase of 24 million from the 3 million who currently use the technology (see VoIP Gaining In Popularity).
A number of recent studies confirm forecasts for strong VoIP growth, predicting penetration to reach nearly 20 million households worldwide by 2010. Although currently the uptake is slow, over the next five years VoIP is estimated to reach about 25% of the high-speed internet access market, generating nearly $1 billion (see US IPTV Subscriptions To Increase By 78% By 2010).
An earlier study by TeleGeography Research predicts VoIP subscribers in the US to exceed 4.1 million by the end of 2005, generating over $1 billion in gross revenues (see VoIP To Exceed 4.1 Million By End Of 2005).
