Business VoIP service revenue up 8 percent in 1H10

CAMPBELL, USA: Infonetics Research has released its updated 2010 VoIP and Unified Communication Services and Subscribers market share and forecast report, which now includes an IP Centrex/UC Provider Tracker highlighting deployments by provider, region, service, and platform.

Diane Myers, directing analyst for VoIP and IMS at Infonetics Research, notes: "The market for business voice over IP services slowed during the financial turmoil of 2009, but we are now seeing a good uptick in new business across all segments, particularly in IP connectivity services. Based on all indications and the feedback we are getting from service providers, we expect 2010 to end on a high note, with revenue up 13 percent over 2009."

Market highlights
* Worldwide VoIP service revenue totaled $22.6 billion in the first half of 2010 (1H10), up 8 percent over 2H09, driven by solid growth in business and residential services across all regions.
* A growing number of hosted providers are incorporating unified communication elements and mobility into their standard offerings, which is creating new levels of service differentiation.
* The number of residential VoIP subscribers grew 10 percent between 2H09 and 1H10 to 145.4 million.
* Though residential VoIP services revenue growth is slowing due to pricing pressures across all geographies, new developments continue in regions such as Africa and Southeast Asia that previously did not have a large residential VoIP provider base.
* In 1H10, the IP connectivity segment of the business VoIP services market surged past the managed IP PBX and hosted VoIP/UC services segments to become the largest segment of the market.
* In North America, the market for business VoIP services is marked by continued consolidation, with Comcast acquiring New Global Telecom and MegaPath acquiring Speakeasy and Covad in 1H10.