Mobile Substitution to Have Bigger Impact Than Credit Crunch on Fixed Voice Spend in Enterprises, Says Analysys Mason

The financial crisis may be putting the squeeze on business budgets, but mobile substitution will be a far bigger threat to fixed enterprise voice spend in Western Europe in 2009. Analysys Mason the premier adviser to the telecoms, IT and media industries predicts a decline of 15% in fixed voice spend next year as a result of mobile substitution.

In the report, Fixed-mobile convergence in enterprise voice in Europe: forecasts 2008-2013, Analysys Mason notes that fixed voice providers will find that the global financial crisis will reduce enterprise fixed voice spend by 1-2%. Ultimately, however, mobile substitution will have a far bigger impact on enterprise voice spend.

"Enterprises are finding it cheaper to give staff mobile phones for all their calls than to put a new VoIP phone on a desk," says the report's author, Margaret Hopkins. "In addition to this, the financial crisis will increase pressure to conserve cash and make it even less likely that enterprises will install a VoIP PBX when their old phone system ceases to be supported by the vendors."

Other key findings from the new report include:

-- Spend on FMC services, where the mobile phones are seamlessly integrated into the enterprise voice system, will grow at a CAGR of 41% between 2008 and 2013, albeit from a low base, while spend on standalone mobile and fixed voice services will decline by 9% and 15% respectively over the period.

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