VoIP claims fifth of French fixed line market

A total of 22 per cent of fixed phone lines in France were used for VoIP calls in the second quarter of the year, official figures suggest.

According to the French telecoms regulator Arcep, this resulted in nearly a third of all calls being conducted over VoIP - a rise of 13.2 per cent on last year's figures.

The Telecom Paper website reports that this rise is thought to be the result of increasing use of triple-play services.

In addition, Eurostat figures show a high percentage (86 per cent) of French small companies are connected to the internet - nearly ten per cent more than in the UK - which may mean more of these firms are making business calls over VoIP.

Commenting on the figures, Miles Templeton, the director general of the Institute of Directors, told vnunet that the lack of broadband could be holding back firms in the UK.

"Smaller businesses, which make up the vast bulk of UK firms and indeed our own membership, are not maximising their opportunities," he said.