Worldwide telecoms equipment spend set for rapid growth

Expenditure on telecoms hardware is expected to grow faster than any other IT sector in 2011, analysis has revealed, which could mean a rapid increase in the deployment of VoIP services.

A new survey by technology researcher Gartner forecast an expansion of 9.1 per cent in spending on telecoms equipment this year to a total of $465 billion (£301 billion).

Purchasing of telecoms services is predicted to rise by 3.4 per cent to $1.6 trillion.

For the IT industry as a whole, spending is expected to swell by 5.1 percent, making the industry worth a total of $3.6 trillion, the study continued.

Gartner research vice-president Richard Gordon said technology expenditure is widely viewed as an effective way to optimise costs and is seen as a fundamental part of expansionary business practice.

"As the global economy repairs itself in coming years, we are optimistic about continued healthy spending on IT," he added.

The majority of companies are planning to implement VoIP technology in the near future, while many which already have it in place view it as "mission critical", Mike Dolan recently told FierceVoIP.