VoIP uptake in Canada has been driven by the need to connect with others across large distances cheaply, a survey suggests.

One in 12 people in the North American country are now using VoIP, according to the study carried out by VoIPGizmos.

"The number of companies, home-based business and ordinary individuals coming to us for their VoIP needs have grown substantially," said VoIPGizmos founder Alex Kovalenko.

"VoIP is the solution to our every communication need."

The study highlighted the case of online business development firm Eteriors, which is based in Montreal but has offices in California.

Despite the huge distance across the continent, Eteriors' vice-president of e-business said that VoIP help the firm "interconnect freely without constraints between our offices" and declared the upgrade has been a "great move forward".

With European companies having recently been looking either east to their newly-instituted EU neighbours or west to the financial centre of London, the success of VoIP in Canada may provide an example that spreading operations over large distances is no longer so problematic.