Voice over IP (VoIP) technology is not ready for
mainstream consumer adoption, says
Forrester Research analyst Zayera Khan in a new
report which examines VoIP service suppliers including Google, ICQ,
Microsoft, Skype, and Yahoo.
The report found that more than half of European users have now
heard of VoIP,
but only 8% have tried it, and those who have tried VoIP are
typical early adopters: young, highly educated males, who started
to use Skype and
Windows Live Messenger for free PC-2-PC phone
calls.
Of this small group, only 4% continued to use VoIP for some or
all of their private calls, while 3% gave up for a number of
reasons.
Unresolved issues with VoIP include inconsistent or poor call
quality, a lack of interoperability between VoIP platforms,
complicated setups and interface usability problems.
Khan said, “Consumers choose VoIP because it offers select zero
or low-cost alternatives to expensive phone calls that telcos
cannot beat. Current Web-based VoIP offers have attracted
tech-savvy consumers, but in order to also attract mainstream
consumers, VoIP vendors Google, ICQ, Microsoft, Skype, and Yahoo!
have to radically improve the experience.”
“Currently, 70% of Europeans don't know about VoIP — and only 1%
use it for nearly all of their calls from home. Coupled with
relatively low broadband take-up, European consumer VoIP adoption
will move slowly,” Khan.
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