Three reports talk up wireless VoIP

Rethink IT, March, 2005

A good indicator of how hot a market is, could be the number of research reports published in a short space of time. Last month, three highlighted the subject of voice over Wi-Fi.

Infonetics Research believes wireless VoIP is already spreading steadily in the enterprise and will see even higher growth over the coming four years. Its report says that 113,000 Wi-Fi VoIP handsets were sold worldwide in 2004, bringing in $45m, while global dual-mode Wi-Fi/cellular handset revenues reached $6.6m based on over 8,000 handsets sold (these dual mode devices only shipped in Q4). The 2004 figure signifies a very fledgling market, of course, and one that is lagging behind what forecasters had hoped when looking into their crystal balls in 2002-3.

But these figures should grow 'dramatically' by 2009 as more enterprises offer employees flexible mobile access over- different wireless networks. The report identifies the logistics and healthcare verticals as early adopters, because voice over-WLan already has some momentum.

Consumer uptake may be further behind but also has great potential, especially once handset costs come down. Adoption will be driven by broadband service providers offering VoIP services and wireless gateways bundled with a DSL or cable connection. Infonetics' Richard Webb commented: "The traditional model of time and distance-based pricing for voice calls will be eroded by VoIP, and as VoIP goes wireless this will present a challenge not only to fixed line operators, but to mobile operators as well."

According to the second report, from ON World, this effect is already being felt in the US telecoms industry, which will be "transformed" by three aspects of voice over WLan--the emergence of low powered single-chip radios with integrated protocol stacks; the adoption of standards such as SIP; and the promise of affordable flat rate roaming.

Finally, In-Stat is also seeing wireless VoIP starting to take off in the enterprise segment. Its recent survey of more than 300 midsize businesses and large enterprises found that 23% had already deployed wireless VoIP (wVoIP) in some manner Another 30% said that they were planning or evaluating some form of wVOIP in the next six to 12 months, The greatest area of interest by respondents was in having the ability to make phone cans from laptop or PDAs and take advantage of unified messaging.