Enterprise VoIP Use Will Double By 2010: Report

Enterprise adoption of VoIP technology in North America will double by 2010, says a new survey by Infonetics Research. It found that almost half of small and two-thirds of large organizations in North America will be using VoIP products and services by 2010.

The primary reasons driving growth are the need to have an integrated phone system across multiple locations, scalability, operational cost savings, and the desire to converge voice and data networks.

The survey reports that VoIP adoption is growing among businesses of all sizes, and is particularly strong among small organizations. It found that VoIP adoption will triple among small organizations in North America by 2010.

It also found that some companies moving from TDM to VoIP are decommisioning their legacy TDM PBXs, which the survey says is "the ultimate show of confidence, illustrating that VoIP has become enterprise-grade."

Among the survey's other findings:* Aside from basic voice services, savings due to long distance/toll bypass is the highest ranked VoIP application.

* Usage of VoIP over wireless LANs will grow from 5% in 2006 to 20% in 2008.

* The most commonly used protocols for IP phone endpoints are SIP and the four versions of H.323.

* Companies spend an average of $47,667 on hosted VoIP in 2005, which will grow 34% to $63,799 in 2007. For managed CPE, expenditures will grow from $10,865 in 2005 to $28,367 in 2007.

* Cisco, Avaya, and Nortel, who are the top PBX manufacturers in North America, also top the list of manufacturers of VoIP products, including IP PBXs, gateways, and IP phones.* 36% of large organizations, 23% of medium organizations, and 14% of small organizations are already using VoIP products and services.