Johannesburg, 20 Jan 2015
2014 was a mixed year for the VOIP industry. According to recent research by Infonetics Research, both the service provider VOIP and IMS markets grew 5% in Q3 2014 from Q3 2013, to reach $1 billion. However, telecoms service provider VOIP and IMS equipment and subscriber revenue growth tapered over the past year.
Mitchell Barker, founder and CEO of VOIP and PBX comparison site, www.WhichVoIP.co.za, says the VOIP services market is expected to enjoy continuous growth in the coming years, due to the cost-effectiveness VOIP offers consumers and businesses alike, as well as improving network infrastructure and the rising demand for smart devices and mobility.
"The VOIP market is growing in leaps and bounds as a result of the cost benefits it offers. This is particularly important to South African businesses and consumers, who still pay too much for mobile calls - despite the interconnect rate cuts we saw this year."
He adds that while much progress has been made in the market over the course of the past 12 months, especially in terms of cost reductions in the mobile space, there is still much to be done in order to create the right kind of competitive environment that will benefit end-users. "South Africa's telecommunications monopolies are still hindering the growth that VOIP has seen in other countries."
The increased interest in VOIP locally is evident in WhichVoIP's visitor numbers, which have shown a steady increase over the past year, according to Barker. This growth in the site's traffic indicates that South African businesses are looking for the best VOIP solutions available to them. "We have also seen a significant increase in Web leads, which confirms that e-commerce and Web services are the way of the future."
In addition to increased traffic, the site's recognition and endorsement by leading providers and online publications reached a new level in 2014. In addition to expanded collaboration with its sponsors, WhichVoIP's presence in the media increased, being featured on sites such as www.callcentrehub.com, www.itweb.co.za, and www.it-online.co.za, to name a few.
"One of our biggest achievements this past year was the introduction of the Wireless Provider section, allowing the WhichVoIP community to access industry-leading technology information, adding to our mandate to be the leading source of objective analysis and industry research, as well as a channel for credible providers to showcase their offerings," says Barker. "We will continue to innovate and break boundaries into 2015 and beyond."
Barker explains that in order to grow the WhichVoIP's base and reach, there will be three new sections coming on board by mid-2015. These will include WhichFibre.co.za, for fibre connectivity comparisons; WhichHostedContactCenter.co.za, for Hosted Call Centre solutions; and WhichPBX.co.za, for premises-based telephone systems. These sections will not only provide comparisons of leading service provider offerings, but also feature research, news and information from industry providers.
"Gartner has predicted that by 2018, most shoppers will turn to online platforms to decide on a product and service to purchase. Fuelling this drive is the fact that potential customers want to engage at the time that best suits them - and this may be outside of normal operating hours. They are going to do comparisons, read reviews and access ratings, make a decision and expect a service provider to deliver - this is what the future is going to be like. WhichVoIP.co.za will be this front-end, and close the loop by pairing the client with a service provider that best suits their business requirements and expectations," he concludes.
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