In-Stat Forecasts Bright Future for Mobile VoIP
Market research firm, In-Stat, predicts that mobile Voice-over-IP
(VoIP) applications will generate annual revenues of $32.2 billion by
2013, driven by more than 278 million new users worldwide. According
to them, mobile VoIP will gradually shift from its initial use as a
cheap way to make international calls to a key feature of mobile apps
and services over the next five years.
As the report points out, until now, mobile VoIP has largely been used
by a select few consumers as a means to reduce long distance mobile
calling – and due to technical constraints, cost of deployment, or
just plain defiance to play along, mobile operators have thus far
avoided rolling out mobile VoIP on their 3G networks, some even
banning it altogether.
In-Stat analyst Frank Dicksonn said in a press release, “Applications
such as Skype and Vonage have influenced users to think of voice as a
data application. The increasing penetration of Wi-Fi in mobile
devices was the beach head that Mobile VoIP applications needed. As
user habits are being shaped by rich on-line communication
experiences, mobile carriers control over devices and data
applications is waning. Mobile carrier attempts to slow the spread of
on-line Mobile VoIP are proving challenging as well.”
The In-Stat report finds that the activities associated with early
mobile VoIP successes “are likely to influence LTE operator voice
plans in ways that potentially favor IMS.”
The research firm also predicts that while the EMEA region currently
has more mobile VoIP-related revenue, the Asia-Pacific region will be
the largest market by 2013.
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