Despite the findings of Inclarity’s survey, SMEs are
increasingly adopting hosted IP telephony services, according to
research by analyst firm Frost & Sullivan.
"IP telephony has considerably matured over the years and
enterprises are considering it a mainstream solution for their
communication needs," says Frost & Sullivan research analyst
Kumar Alagappan.
"IP telephony, which was restricted to the medium and large
enterprises segment, is beginning to make inroads into [SMEs] as
well, thus leading to a rise in demand for IP telephony end
points."
Frost & Sullivan believes the availability of hosted IP
telephony solutions will cause an increase in the shipment of IP
lines, which in turn will have a positive impact on IP telephony
end point shipments. IP phone suppliers will also be able to reach
SMEs interested in hosted IP services offered at compelling cost
structures.
Furthermore, according to the research, increasing supplier
competition, falling hardware prices and the arrival of open
standards such as session initiation protocol (SIP), will result in
a downward pricing pressure and the commoditisation of IP
phones.