11 Mar 2010

VoIP 'could be key to UC'

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) could be key to the uptake of unified communications (UC) in the future, it has been claimed.

Speaking at UC Expo, Tan Aksoy, chief executive officer and founding director of Telappliant, said the cost savings offered through VoIP could be crucial in bringing UC to the fore for those who have yet to embrace the service.

He commented: "We're expecting to see further convergence of communications technology, so, for instance, convergence of voice, mobile, video, to deliver businesses and customers with a single communications experience."

According to John Bosnell, senior analyst at Point Topic, the UK is currently ranked tenth in the world in terms of VoIP uptake at 2.95 million users.

He added that there were close to 110 million VoIP subscribers across the globe in 2009 and claimed that this was particularly good for the industry given the global economic downturn and its effect on IT infrastructure spending.