When will VoIP reach mainstream adoption in the Australian market?

Many global vendors have been rubbing their hands at the prospect of extended VoIP deployment.

Personal IP communications is the future of real-time communications for the individual user, according to IDC. This market segment is categorised into three areas including web-based services, portals, and mobile thin-clients.

Together, IDC forecasts these categories will represent more than US$5 billion in annual spending in 2012.

At the forefront of the evolution of “voice as an application” are new web services platforms from vendors such as REBTEL or iotum. Voice is becoming embedded in sites, applications, and other services, sometimes by third- party developers, but also by the original provider. Web-based personal IP communication comes in many shapes and sizes, ranging from widgets and applications for social networking sites, to websites that initiate the bridging of calls.

IP communication clients for devices, such as Truphone and TalkPlus, are integral to the growth of personal IP communication services. While some web-based services offer a mobile solution via bridging capabilities over the cellular network, many thin-client services look to provide an end-to-end VoIP experience via the data network. The proliferation of a new category of devices known as MIDs will be dependent on these IP communications clients’ voice communications.

Standalone IP communication portals, such as Skype and SightSpeed, have become a viable business. Calls between users on a platform are usually free no matter what the revenue structure. Some portals price calls on a per-minute basis depending on where the call terminates, while others offer a monthly subscription for unlimited minutes. Similarly, there are portals that rely 100 percent on user-generated revenue and others that rely on a mix of ad-generated revenue and user-generated revenue.

“Funding models to support personal IP communications still remain in flux. Some services are already being offered for free, looking towards advertising to generate revenue. Other players are offering a free basic service and the option of a premium service for
a monthly fee,” said Rebecca Swensen, research analyst for VoIP Services at IDC. “Still, it is questionable whether either of these revenue models will be profitable. Will one model become the de facto standard in the next few years or will there continue to be varying revenue models?”

This week we ask our experts: “When can we expect VoIP deployment to become more mainstream here in Australia?”

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