SMBs ideal for VoIP

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are becoming a focus for VoIP activity as they can gain a number of benefits from introducing a system, according to a new report.

Research conducted by US-based industry analysts AMI Partners found that smaller businesses appreciated the impression that a hosted VoIP service creates among prospective clients by suggesting they are a larger company and effective in how they handle their communications.

"The small, nimble companies are the prime innovators and trendsetters," said Sanjeev Aggrawal, a vice president at AMI Partners.

"[They are] the ones that will evolve VoIP from a low-cost alternative … into a unified communications solutions with functions and features integrated into virtually all aspects of SMB operations."

Mr Aggrawal predicted that as the take-up of VoIP increases, larger telecoms companies will begin to market their VoIP solutions to SMBs to shore up their market share - a tactic which he suggested they were unwilling to carry out at the moment due to fears over cutting into its traditional revenue streams through fixed lines.

However, he suggested that there remained opportunities for VoIP providers to fill that gap in the meantime and stake a place in the market for SMBs.