Converged services on VoIP offer 30 per cent savings

A new report has found that fixed-mobile convergence when combined with VoIP can save spending on voice services by as much as 30 per cent.

The FixedMobile Convergence in the Enterprise Voice Market report published by Analysys found that in the face of such cost reductions mobile network operators will have to work hard to slow the decline in enterprise voice revenues as companies bypass their more expensive services.

Dual-mode phones will account for 14 per cent of handsets sold to enterprise customers in 2012 and there will be 4 million in use in Europe at that date.

Analysys said corporate communications managers hoping to reduce costs gain most by combining corporate mobile packages with VoIP on Wi-Fi and using dual-mode phones and wireless gateways to reduce roaming bills and fixed-to-mobile charges.

"Companies are spending over 80 per cent of their call bill on mobile services, and that is causing them to turn to new technology looking for savings," said the report's author, Margaret Hopkins.

"Wireless gateways, VoIP and Wi-Fi offer them ways of cutting this bill that are independent of the network operators. Operators need to come up with innovative services to minimise the revenue leakage."

In order to stem the decline in revenues due to such services Analysys said mobile operators should launch corporate home-zone services based on 'femtocells' to reduce the demand for dual-mode cellular/Wi-Fi phones that will take traffic and revenue away from their networks.

A recent report by Yankee Group suggests that the small and medium business VoIP market is set to grow by more than 500 per cent by 2009.

This increase will value the industry at more than $1 billion, creating a market for equipment that is compatible with the technology of the future.