VoIP provider market figures

The VoIP provider equipment market showed a slight decline for the second quarter of 2008 but is expected to recover well, according to Infonetics Research.

A drop of four per cent was recorded in the overall worldwide market, led by larger declines in the session border controller (SBC) and softswitch areas.

This was the first sequential decline for SBC ever recorded by Infonetics, dropping 14 per cent from the first quarter of the year to the second.

However, compared with this time last year, the overall market has increased three per cent, with strong year-over-year gains in the media server, SBC and softswitch markets leading the way.

"While down in the first half of 2008, we expect the carrier VoIP equipment market to bounce back in the second half, ending the year on a positive note," said Infonetics' principal analyst for VoIP, Stephane Teral.

"The five-year outlook looks good as well, as demand for VoIP networking gear continues unabated, driven by a long term migration from circuit switched to packet telephony."

It was also found that the worldwide VoIP provider and IMS market will reach $7.5 billion (£4.1 billion) in 2011.