UK Companies Slow To Use VoIP

A survey sponsored by VoIP software company Shortel found that over one-third of UK companies decided not to move to VoIP (voice over IP) - because they believe it is too expensive to install and run.

Seventy percent of those surveyed said that cost reductions were the main attraction of the system, while others were attracted by its ability to manage calls more effectively and enable home and mobile working.

According to Rob Bamforth, principal analyst at Quocirca, companies need to understand that there are ongoing costs associated with VoIP. If, for example, a company’s existing IP network cannot cope with the extra traffic VoIP calls bring, it may be necessary to upgrade infrastructure and provide additional support.

Over one-third of the survey’s respondents were discouraged from using VoIP because of fears that it would be too complicated to manage.

Bamforth suggested that VoIP offerings could be simplified and that service providers could encourage companies to accept VoIP by offering it as a service including calls at flat rates.

Recent research by Ofcom found that the UK is among the slowest countries to embrace new services such as VoIP and IPTV.

However, what perhaps could benefit the VoIP market more is a focus on improving line quality. At present VoIP frequently suffers from poor call quality, so anyone who can introduce an algorithm to improve call quality can only help to push VoIP technology in the UK.