According to a new research by Technavio, the average yearly growth in the mobile VoIP market globally was forecast at 28.5% between this year (2016) and 2020. Mobile VoIP provides consumers with the ability to make IP phone calls via mobile LTE and 3G networks, and fixed connections like Wi-Fi and wireless hotspots.
Part of this forecast is based on an increase in the service revenues from both individual and enterprise premium users. The main drivers for this projected growth of mobile VoIP include the large variation of prices between data and voice services and the low overall cost of ownership.
Mobile VoIP may possibly pose a substantial threat to the revenues of conventional mobile network since it doesn’t depend on extensive infrastructure. But then again, Technavio indicates that the technology is still faced with teething problems like poor quality of speech and dropped calls as a result of packet loss and latency in ISP networks.
The research findings of Technavio have been seconded by researches by other consultancies in through the past year. BuddeComm points out that the descending trend in subscribers of fixed-line telephone corresponds to a comparable rise in VoIP account holders. Moreover, the wider availability of smartphones across the globe is set to bring rapid growth in the market of mobile VoIP through the few years ahead.
Currently, Slype is the dominant player in the market of mobile VoIP, however, Facebook and Google are still significant players in that sector. Technavio’s research also shows that in the developing world, especially the Asia-Pacific region, there is a great potential for usage of both 4G and 3G protocols to enhance wide-area communications.
