IP PBX boosted by sales growth worldwide

Internet-based private branch exchanges (IP PBX) have seen impressive growth in sales since the start of the year, a report suggests.

Only in the Asia Pacific market did sales of PBX extensions fall during the first three months of 2007, according to telecoms think-tank MZA, as the global market embraced the technology and saw "impressive" growth rates.

The fastest increase in IP PBX connections was seen in the Middle East and Africa with 29 per cent more sales in the first quarter compared to the year before.

Western Europe saw generally healthy growth with the exceptions of Luxembourg, Holland and Italy, which all reported declining sales volumes.

But the UK, France and Germany remained above a five per cent growth rate, which is impressive considering they have already established themselves as the leading countries in terms of IP PBX take-up.

Similarly strong performance was also reported by our European cousins out east who reported above average market growth of seven per cent.

But western Europe remains a fast-growing market and continued to outperform the United States, although for sheer sales the size of America means it gains more market share - even though it reported a four per cent drop in the number of IP PBX sales completed in the first quarter.