Incumbent mobile operators 'need to get on board with mobile VoIP'

No-cost and low-cost mobile VoIP is not high on the list of priorities for incumbent mobile network operators, a new report has found.

According to a study by Research and Markets, while the technology is not on the radar of these organisations, it should be.

The Market Opportunity: Free VoIP over Wireless vs. VoLTE found there is downward pressure on voice and basic data services, with increasing awareness of internet protocol being a cheap source of transport.

By investing in VoIP solutions, incumbent mobile network operators can boost growth, the study showed, adding that these organisations must offer their own 'dialable' 4G/LTE VoIP via VoLTE.

A report by Juniper Research recently predicted that the number of consumers using mobile VoIP solutions to contact friends and family will exceed 130 million by 2016.

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