Fourfold Increase Projected In U.S. VoIP Subscribers In Four Years

The number of U.S. Internet telephony subscribers among consumers is expected to increase more than fourfold in the next four years, causing a dramatic change in the telecommunications market.

The number of voice over Internet protocol subscribers is expected to jump to 44 million in 2010 from 10.3 million this year, International Data Corp. said Tuesday. The forecast shows that VoIP will be used in 62 percent of broadband households in four years.

The projection is based on the assumption that broadband adoption would continue, and consumers' comfort with the new mode of alternative communications would increase. Adoption depends on providers offering VoIP services that are easy to set up, have simple hardware requirements and are combined with mobile phone service.

"There is still much to do in terms of creating a product that catches the attention of Main Street," IDC researcher Will Stofega said in a statement. "For those that are able to tweak their service offering to fit the ever changing tastes of the mass market, the potential growth opportunity is huge."