VoIP traffic dials up growth

In 2010, VoIP traffic and subscriber levels are expected to accelerate their growth due to an improved housing market and competitively priced bundled service offerings from other service providers, according to a report by the Dell'Oro Group.

The report notes that VoIP will be on steadier ground in 2010, after suffering two years of steep revenue declines. VoIP will also be spurred on by the completion of various network modernisation projects.

In the UK, BT's decision to open up its broadband infrastructure to other service providers is expected to have a major effect, with the increased diversity in the marketplace forecast to lead to lower prices for all.

The same is occurring on the other side of the Atlantic, with Google's announcement that it is planning to start testing out ultra-fast broadband to consumers homes.

Greg Collins, vice president at Dell'Oro Group, said: "Future growth in broadband subscribers will likely be boosted over the next five years by government initiatives, such as the National Broadband Plan in the United States".

The key thing to take from the report is that after two years on shaky ground, VoIP traffic is expected to climb back up again.