The latest consumer study from TeleGeography Research shows that 30% of residential broadband subscribers in the US have never heard of voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP), identifying a problem for marketers of the technology.
TeleGeography’s research reveals a strong, positive correlation between familiarity of VoIP and the likelihood of subscribing, with those familiar with the service 50% more likely to subscribe than those who are not.
In a survey of 1,500 US households TeleGeography found that cost was a deciding factor for many in adoption of VoIP, with 52% of online households saying they were likely to subscribe to a flat-rate VoIP package if it was priced at $30 a month.
Other key findings show that just 30% of respondents were likely to replace their existing landline phone with VoIP if automatic emergency service numbers were unavailable in the package, while a massive 76% claimed they would completely replace their existing phone service if they subscribed to VoIP.
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 VoIP To Reach 20 Million Households 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).
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