Driven by increased smartphone penetration and a growing breadth of offerings, mobile VoIP usage is on the rise with the number of subscriber tripling in 2011, according to a new report.
The In-Stat report said as the addressable market increases with smartphone penetration a greater number of providers are introducing services, including a growing handful of mobile operators that are beginning to embrace, to some degree, mobile VoIP.
The report added that active mobile VoIP subscriber rates will triple in 2011, growing from 9 million in 2010 to 29 million.
“While VoIP is a well-defined market, mobile VoIP is still in its infancy, with most offerings only being developed over the past several years, and because it’s in its nascent stage, there are significant opportunities for companies to develop the market,” said Amy Cravens, senior analyst. “However, there are also a number of uncertainties, which is not surprising in a new market.”
The primary distribution channel utilized by respondents to access mobile VoIP offerings is through the OS application store and the largest concentration of mobile VoIP users is in Western Europe, the report said.
The report added that revenues associated with mobile VoIP usage will increase to over $4 billion in 2015 and that LTE operators are not likely to have a significant impact on the mobile VoIP market until 2013.