In-Stat reports there's great potential for mobile VoIP, including the possibility that VoIP could favor IMS in the voice-over-LTE debate.
While mobile VoIP still poses a direct threat to operator voice revenue, it also represents a new capability that promises numerous applications. The report concludes that by 2013, mobile VoIP applications will generate annual revenues of $32.2 billion, driven by more than 278 million registered users worldwide.
As far as new applications, the report cites integration of mobile VoIP into social networking sites, as well as MVNOs and 3G operators without legacy networks that are currently using mobile VoIP to more effectively add voice to data offerings. Additionally, a few carriers are using a form of mobile VoIP, UMA, to support better indoor coverage and offload macro networks.
"Applications such as Skype and Vonage have influenced users to think of voice as a data application," says Frank Dickson, In-Stat analyst. "The increasing penetration of Wi-Fi in mobile devices was the beachhead that mobile VoIP applications needed. As user habits are being shaped by rich online communication experiences, mobile carriers' control over devices and data applications is waning. Mobile carrier attempts to slow the spread of online mobile VoIP are proving challenging as well."
But mobile VoIP won't stop there. According to In-Stat, the voice-over LTE problem could improve because of mobile VoIP. The report says that activities associated with early mobile VoIP successes are likely to influence LTE operator voice plans in ways that potentially favor IMS.