Research: 12 Percent Of U.S. Companies Switch To VoIP

Telecom Policy Report, Dec 8, 2004

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) was adopted by more U.S. businesses during the past year, with the percentage of companies using the technology growing from 3 percent in 2003 to 12 percent in 2004, according to research house In-Stat/MDR. Substantially higher rates of penetration are found within the larger business segments, the company adds. In-Stat/MDR forecasts that middle-market VoIP penetration will be at 34 percent by year's end, and at 43 percent in the large-business segment.

A recent proprietary survey performed by the firm found that most enterprises will be using a mixture of voice communication services and technologies, and not VoIP exclusively.

Why are companies making the IP move? "There are many different ways that businesses are migrating to VoIP," says Daryl Schoolar, an analyst with In-Stat/MDR. "Each installation requires a certain amount of customization. For service providers, this requires a more consultative customer approach than what they are used to with their traditional services."

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