VoIP solutions help value added services growth

Broadband value added services has becomes a $25.7 billion (£14.2 billion) worldwide market, and VoIP solutions and related security services accounted for 56 per cent of its revenues, according to an analyst company.

Point Topic said that the market grew by 62 per cent in 2007, taking it to its current total.

The company estimated that while value added services constituted just ten per cent of total broadband revenues - including subscriptions - in 2003, at the end of 2007 this share had increased to over 30 per cent.

"Value added services are growing strongly and are increasingly significant in overall revenue terms," said Point Topic senior analyst, John Bosnell.

"As it gets harder to make a profit in the hyper competitive line rental market the operators and suppliers have to look to add value, and revenue, with their service offerings.”

The company split the VoIP solutions market into two - IP Telephony, where VoIP services are provided by ISPs, and Internet Telephony, where users make calls over their PCs via services.

Internet Telephony users now total 20 million worldwide, Point Topic believe, although users of IP Telephony are ten times more profitable for operators.