Analyst firm Juniper Research predicts a billion mobile users will utilize over-the-top (OTT) mobile VoIP services by 2017, however monetizing that rise may prove difficult.
The research firm notes the rise in OTT mobile VoIP users will be a dramatic shift in the way voice traffic is carried. Market drivers include an increase in the number of traditional telcos getting on the OTT bandwagon, improvements in network technology, and greater competition in the market.
However, analyst Anthony Cox notes making money from the rise could be tough. “Many subscribers sign up to an OTT service without ever planning to pay a cent for it, and some industry players do not have a short-term revenue model at all,” he says.
One way specialist mobile VoIP companies hope to address the monetization problem is by opening their application programming interfaces to third parties and mobile network operators. Players are also offering increasingly sophisticated service offerings.