Most of today’s business leaders are at least familiar with the term Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. Most of us know VoIP as the service that allows you to make calls via the Internet; however, In addition to a wireline network, you can also make VoIP calls via a cellular data or wireless network. This is otherwise known as mobile VoIP.
Mobile VoIP allows you to make and receive calls through the use of a mobile phone’s connection to the Internet. This differs from a traditional cell phone call wherein you utilize your carrier’s voice network and are therefore subjected to their long distance charges and penalty fees if you go over your contracted number of minutes.
Mobile VoIP, just like VoIP, relies on Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). SIP is the standard that is employed by most VoIP services. Currently, it is being implemented on smartphones, mobile handsets and a growing number of cordless phones.
A number of studies now show that the number of mobile VoIP users is expected to skyrocket within the next 4 years.
As the number of smartphone users continues to grow, mobile VoIP solutions are gaining popularity. So much so, that research firm In-Stat predicted the number of mobile VoIP service subscribers to reach 29 million by the end of this year. According to In-Stat, smartphone penetration is the driving force behind the surge in demand, as many providers now offer services that grant access to mobile VoIP on some level.
In-Stat’s senior analyst, Amy Cravens, explained that, “While VoIP is a well-defined market, mobile VoIP is still in its infancy,” and because of that, there are considerable opportunities for businesses to develop the market. Cravens also noted that – just like with any new and booming market – there are many uncertainties that providers must overcome.
Juniper Research, a firm specializing in the identification and appraisal of high growth opportunities across the mobile telecommunications, content, and applications sectors, has predicted the number of mobile VoIP customers will reach a whopping 640 million by 2016. Their findings indicate that growing user awareness, more intuitive interfaces and improved technology all account for the rising ascendancy of the application download model for mobile VoIP.
In addition, Juniper Research added that, due to technological improvements and the launch of mobile video calling by leading providers, the number of mobile video calling users will surpass 130 million within the next 4 years.
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Erin Bothamley is a Sales support Manager at Fastblue Communications. Fastblue is a Premier Managed Cloud, Telecom, and Internet Security Provider.
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