VoIP expected to Explode in the Upcoming
Years
June 9, 2005
Voice over Internet Protocol better know as VoIP has
grown tremendously
in the past few years. This growth trend is not expected
to slow down any
time soon. It is reported that the VoIP industry will
continue to set
records in the upcoming years. In the next 3 years there
is likely to be
4 million new VoIP subscribers in the United States.
Those 4 million
pioneers will still represent a small fraction of the
113 million
households where the traditional phone call will still
hold strong. This
just means that the VoIP market has plenty of room to
grow in the next
century.
IDC estimates some 3 million Americans are currently
signed up for VoIP in
2005. They expect that the number of VoIP consumers
will grow nine-fold to
27 million by the end of 2009. Analyst firm IDC said
that VoIP has been
slow to get rolling but is "finally beginning to
show its potential in the
consumer market." Going forward, the value proposition
of VoIP will become
less about price, the major selling point today, and
more about service
capabilities. Unlimited local and long-distance calling
and voice mail
along with many more standard features for as little
as $20 a month is a
bargain compared to traditional phone service prices.
The low price of
VoIP is the main attraction for new customers willing
to try out this new
technology.
These numbers are impressive by every means but many
VoIP customers are
still holding out to see how the new technology holds
up in the next few
months. Am IDC analyst refers to the technology as "still
in the very
early stages of development and carriers and equipment
vendors need to
plan for a marathon." The technology is still evolving,
for instance, many
early adopters complain about crackling calls or other
interference. New
providers have accounted for these problems and have
adjusted their new
VoIP lines to eliminate these various problems to ensure
the best service
the technology allows.
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