Mobile video calling 'will exceed 130m users by 2016'

The number of people using mobile VoIP (mVoIP) solutions to contact friends and family will surge to 130 million by 2016, according to a new report.

A study by Juniper Research revealed that many major industry players have improved mobile video calling services over the last 18 months, which has complimented the increased availability of front-facing cameras on smartphones.

The Mobile Voice and Video Calling report suggested that voice will play an enhanced role in the mobile communications market going forward, with alliances between Facebook and several mVoIP providers accelerating this trend.

Anthony Cox, associate analyst at Juniper Research, said: "Services such as Apple's FaceTime have brought mobile video calling to the public consciousness."

According to a recent study by Wireless 20/20, VoIP solutions will be critical in monetisiing 4G networks.

The report found that operators could boost their average revenue per user by as much as 50 per cent by offering such services rather than just data driven offerings.