Smartphone spread could boost VoIP traffic

Adoption of mobileIP telephony solutions could be encouraged by the volume of internet-enabled mobile phone sold last year, according to ABI Research.

Enhanced phones and smartphones accounted for around 81 per cent of global mobile handset shipments in 2009, ABI Research said.

In total, approximately 1.15 billion mobile handsets were shipped globally last year, according to the technology market research firm's Smartphones & Mobile Devices Research Service.

Enhanced phones and smartphones can be used as VoIP phones as they allow calls to be made and received over the internet as well as via traditional mobile operator networks.

Celia Bo, industry analyst at ABI Research, said that mobile handsets are now enabling VoIP solutions, web surfing and social networking as manufacturers have "focused on 3G (and beyond) capabilities".

The 3.5G handset category is the fastest-growing segment among all the models announced by vendors, ABI Research said, with 56 per cent of handset models in 2009 being 3.5G-ready devices.

Data services such as mobile IP telephony solutions are driving the growth of the mobile market, Visiongain said recently.

The mobile sector will grow by 1.4 per cent to £362 billion this year, according to the business information provider.