UK households reluctant to switch to VoIP

A recent study by Ofcom has found that the UK public has yet to be convinced about the advantages of VoIP telephony, in spite of high approval ratings among those currently employing the technology.

The communications regulator found that among the 17 per cent of adult broadband users who had made telephone calls via a VoIP service, more than three quarters (82 per cent) reported doing so every day.

That would seem to indicate high levels of satisfaction among existing subscribers and yet much of the broader marketplace remains wary of adopting the new technology.

Recent reports have suggested concerns over low audio quality and security issues may be holding back consumers, while the competitive nature of the British telecommunication market is also making it difficult for VoIP providers to make headway in the market.

Kerry Ritz, chief executive of VoIP carrier Vonage, said that one way of encouraging uptake of the technology would be for Ofcom to approve 'naked DSL' services, which would allow customers to sign up for a broadband line without also committing to buying a telephone line.

The UK currently has about nine per cent of households wired up to an IP telephony solution, lagging well behind other European countries such as France and the Netherlands where approximately one in every four homes is wired up to a VoIP phone.