Over 20m VoIP service users in US

Over 20 million Americans used VoIP solutions in 2008, according to a new report.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released its Local Telephone Competition survey which reveals telephone usage in the country.

The government body found that 21 million consumers had subscribed to IP telephony solutions via a cable, phone or independent VoIP operator as of December 31st 2008.

Most consumers received VoIP as part of a broadband package, with 81 per cent opting against a standalone service.

There were more home users than there were business customers accessing the technology.

Around 12 per cent of overall phone connections were from residential subscribers, while business VoIP subscriptions accounted for just one per cent.

Despite the demise in landlines, 141 million traditional phone connections were still in operation at the end of 2008.

The report shows that a total of 162 million wired telephone lines were in use.