Mobile VoIP Calls Set For Explosive Growth

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone calls that are carried over mobile networks are poised for dramatic growth, with one research firm suggesting they could grow 30 fold within the next half decade. According to analysts at Juniper Research, there are currently 15 billion minutes of VoIP calls made using 3G and 4G networks. Juniper reckons that as networks become increasingly faster and more common, the number of minutes will rise to 470.6 billion.

Juniper research says that mobile VoIP has also grown because of the increasing number of handsets which support internet calls over Wi-Fi networks and using services such as Skype and Apple’s FaceTime video calling application for the iPhone.

Wi-Fi based voice calls could spell disaster for the mobile phone service providers, since the calls typically earn them no revenue, and has therefore forced telecoms companies to re-examine their policies for carrying VoIP traffic or face financial losses as consumers switch from cellular talk time to lower cost Wi-Fi alternatives.

“We forecast that mobile VoIP over Wi-Fi will cost operators $5 billion globally by 2015,” said Anthony Cox, senior analyst at Juniper Research. “Wi-Fi mobile VoIP is potentially the most damaging of all VoIP traffic as it bypasses the mobile networks altogether.”

The research firm says it expects to see more mobile phone operators striking deals with VoIP service providers, as they seek to defend revenue from traditional voice calls, Mobile telcos such as Three in UK, and Verizon in the US have already come to an arrangement with Skype. Juniper says these types of deals will become increasingly common as revenue for traditional voice calls using conventional circuit switching continues its decline. Mobile phone companies will try to reach some kind of arrangement with VoIP providers, and establish partnerships which will enable them to capture some part of their traffic.

The upward trajectory of VoIP calls is widely expected to climb quickly, mainly amongst business customers, who are more likely to buy unlocked handsets with VoIP support. Models that include the Nokia E Series, and the forthcoming Cius tablet device which is being launched by Cisco.

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