2010
300 Million VoIP Users by 2013
On the heels of market research firm In-Stat's recent prediction that VoIP could reach 79% penetration in 3 years, they also estimate that there will be 288 million users of Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) by then. In-Stat believes that over half of these subscribers “will be associated with online mobile VoIP providers, under one-third will utilize mobile VoIP with 3G MVNOs or mobile operators, and 11 % with WiMAX/LTE operators.” With Apple's and AT&T's new relaxed policy with respect to voice being transmitted over the data network, and partnership agreements like Verizon's and Skype's or Truphone and Optus, this growth is only going to be accelerated. In-Stat estimates that annual sales of mobile VoIP applications will be $35.2 billion by 2013.
VoIP is an amazing technology that is poised to profoundly change how and when we communicate. While the growth to date has been primarily centered around cost-savings and land-lines, we are starting to see mobile VoIP gain traction despite the processors in today's mobile phones and our congested 3G data networks. In time, VoIP will stop competing on price and it will start to compete on the features and benefits of richer, more empowered communications facilitated by high-definition voice, presence, Internet enablement and fixed mobile convergence and it will achieve 100% penetration.
