The market for Voice over Internet Protocol services in Asia continues to show strong growth, as total revenue is expected to rise from nearly $5.5 billion in 2004 to more than $10 billion by 2009, reports In-Stat.
Currently, long distance calls, initiated from either traditional PSTN terminals or full IP local loops but carried over IP backbones to recipients' local networks, create the bulk of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) business in Asia, providing for 85.4% of total revenue in 2004, the high-tech market research firm says.
"By contrast, adoption of local VoIP services is slow due to regulatory barriers in many countries and the dominance of incumbent players," says Victor Liu, In-Stat analyst. "In Japan, however, competitive service providers such as Yahoo! BB have demonstrated how they can creatively leverage technological advantages to introduce new services and woo customers in a loose regulatory framework."
A recent report by In-Stat found the following:
* In 2004, there were 8.7 million local VoIP lines in Asia.
* Regulators still have to make hard, yet smart decisions to ensure smooth market development, with some vendors placing high stakes on VoIP for their future success.
* In Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore, a large portion of long distance calls has already migrated to the IP platform.
The report, "Voice over IP Services in Asia," covers the Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) market in Asia. It includes forecasts for VoIP subscribers, calling minutes, calling prices, and revenue for the region with breakdowns by major country markets through 2009. Also included are market analyses for each of the major Asian VoIP markets: Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, and China.
In-Stat is based in Scottsdale, AZ. For more information visit www.in-stat.com.