Small UK businesses are buying into the potential of VoIP more enthusiastically than their larger counterparts, with usage forecast to grow from 25% now to 48% by March 2008, according to recent BT research.

This pioneering spirit is one of the key findings of a survey of the UK’s business VoIP market by technical market research specialists Vanson Bourne, commissioned by BT.

Working with a UK-wide sample of 435 companies with between 2 and 50 employees, Vanson Bourne found that 57% of those with 2-10 staff and 48% of sole traders are already planning to capitalise on VoIP services.  This compares with only 20% of companies with 31-50 staff.

The survey also flagged up important regional differences in interest and uptake of the technology. It found that a third of London businesses are already using VoIP followed closely by businesses in the English North East and South West with 24% and 23% respectively. Scotland racks up a total of 17%, a figure that puts it a considerable way ahead of Wales where only 5% of the small and medium-sized companies in the survey have VoIP in their sights at present.

GETTING THE NEWS OUT THERE

While smaller businesses seem to have grasped the benefits of VoIP, there would appear to be clear market opportunities for providers in spreading the word, particularly among medium-sized companies, on the cost savings, convenience, flexibility and extra mobility that the technology can offer.

However, Communications Providers servicing the SME market with VoIP still have to face a very diverse market and level of understanding from their customers. There is a clear need to focus on delivering a standardised service that also feels tailor-made to the end user in the SME.  While ensuring that solutions offered are resilient and reliable, if Communications Providers are to take full advantage of this opportunity.

There is also the need address the issue of 999 calls. In July 07, Ofcom published proposals to require certain types of VoIP service providers to allow users to call 999 by early 2008. This follows research revealing that as many as 78% of VoIP users who cannot use their service to call 999 thought they could, or did not know whether they could.

READ BETWEEN THE LINES

For VoIP Service Providers who want to provide their small and medium-sized customers with a more tailored approach to their needs, IP Exchange can be part of the solution.

Created to provide essential ‘interoperability’ between the different communications technologies currently in use, this new platform enables you to offer your customers the ability to make calls to PSTN numbers over their broadband connections, in addition to video calls between PCs and 3G mobiles. BT Wholesale fully manages the service for you to assure high call quality standards, reduce the risk of traffic delays and remove the need for your own investment in VoIP ‘call conversion’ gateways.

In addition, IP Exchange supports the delivery of 999 calls in the UK and so equips Service Providers to demonstrate a current and future capability in response to the Ofcom consultation.

IP Exchange is a key development in enabling the growth of VoIP services, offering Communication Providers a simple, robust, interoperability solution without the need for major capital investment, as well as offering a financial settlement for calls terminating on your network.

General Manager, Voice Interconnect, Fabienne Dischamps comments: "IP Exchange means that customers can focus on delivering a standardised service that feels tailor-made to the requirements of each individual business. Now they can rely on BT Wholesale to convey their native VoIP calls to and from all other VoIP numbers – their own and those of other providers – and to and from all other traditional numbers in the UK and abroad. IP Exchange also supports the delivery of 999 calls in the UK: an important consideration for VoIP Providers in the view of Ofcom’s current consultation on this subject.